Kahului, Hawaii

Kahului, Hawaii
Census-designated place

Aerial view of Kahului from the southwest

Location in Maui County and the state of Hawaii
Coordinates: 20°52′54″N 156°28′3″W / 20.88167°N 156.46750°W / 20.88167; -156.46750Coordinates: 20°52′54″N 156°28′3″W / 20.88167°N 156.46750°W / 20.88167; -156.46750
Country United States
State Hawaii
County Maui
Area
  Census-designated place 16.3 sq mi (42.3 km2)
  Land 15.2 sq mi (39.3 km2)
  Water 1.2 sq mi (3.0 km2)
Elevation 0 ft (0 m)
Population (2010)
  Census-designated place 26,337
  Density 1,615.7/sq mi (622.6/km2)
  Urban 55,934
  Metro 154,925
Time zone Hawaii-Aleutian (UTC-10)
ZIP codes 96732-96733
Area code(s) 808
FIPS code 15-22700
GNIS feature ID 0359843

Kahului is a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County, on the island of Maui, in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Kahului hosts Maui's main airport (Kahului Airport), deep-draft harbor, light industrial areas, and commercial shopping centers. The population was 26,337 at the 2010 census.

The retail center for Maui residents, Kahului has several malls and major stores (including department stores in the Queen Kaahumanu Center); other significant groupings of stores are in Lāhainā such as the Lahaina Cannery Mall, the Happy Valley area of Wailuku, Maui Market Place and Maui Mall, which are both also located in Kahului; and The Shops at Wailea in Wailea.

Kahului is not generally considered a tourist destination. It does feature the Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum, Kanaha Pond State Wildlife Sanctuary, Kanaha Beach County Park, and the Maui Arts and Cultural Center.

Kahului is served by Kahului Airport, located outside of the CDP.[1]

History

Port at Kahului

Kahului was initiated by European Americans during the 1850s with the acquisition of the land between Makawao and Paia by Henry Baldwin and Samuel Alexander. They were planning a sugarcane plantation and mills. After the two realized their source of water was miles away, they built an irrigation ditch 17 miles long from Haleakalā to their plantation. The project took two years to complete. The plantation flourished and the owners bought more land for additional sugar mills.

Many people started to move to Kahului to work in the plantations. As the population increased, related housing and retail services were slowly developed. Kahului was the first planned community in Hawaii and the Western United States when Alexander and Baldwin began construction of the town in the 1940s. The need for the community was significant as there was a lack of housing for plantation workers, who had to live in camps spread out throughout the sugar fields on Central Maui. Soon, roads were paved, subdivisions emerged, and markets prospered. Kahului was established as "Maui's major city." The founding of the harbor port and international airport strengthened the status of the city.

Today, Kahului is known as the shopping capital of the island. Among its various shopping centers are Queen Ka'ahumanu Center, Home Depot and the island's only Walmart. Numerous bakeshops, fruit and vegetable stores, and souvenir shops cater to local residents and tourists

Geography and climate

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 16.3 square miles (42 km2), of which, 15.2 square miles (39 km2) of it is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2) of it is water. The total area is 7.16% water.

Kahului is directly adjacent to Wailuku located on the west side of town, and to Spreckelsville on the east.

According to the climate zone, Kahului is in the Tropical wet and dry climate zone (Köppen classification As) with a dry summer season. The town is also one of the windiest places in the U.S. averaging 13.7 mph per year.

Climate data for Kahului, Hawaii (1981−2010 normals, extremes 1954−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 90
(32)
89
(32)
90
(32)
91
(33)
92
(33)
94
(34)
95
(35)
97
(36)
96
(36)
96
(36)
93
(34)
90
(32)
97
(36)
Average high °F (°C) 80.6
(27)
80.7
(27.1)
81.4
(27.4)
82.4
(28)
84.4
(29.1)
86.3
(30.2)
87.2
(30.7)
88.0
(31.1)
88.0
(31.1)
86.8
(30.4)
84.1
(28.9)
81.6
(27.6)
84.3
(29.1)
Average low °F (°C) 63.4
(17.4)
63.0
(17.2)
64.4
(18)
65.7
(18.7)
67.1
(19.5)
69.6
(20.9)
71.1
(21.7)
71.4
(21.9)
70.4
(21.3)
69.5
(20.8)
68.0
(20)
65.1
(18.4)
67.4
(19.7)
Record low °F (°C) 48
(9)
50
(10)
51
(11)
54
(12)
56
(13)
58
(14)
58
(14)
61
(16)
59
(15)
58
(14)
55
(13)
52
(11)
48
(9)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.87
(72.9)
1.89
(48)
2.45
(62.2)
1.55
(39.4)
0.74
(18.8)
0.20
(5.1)
0.50
(12.7)
0.50
(12.7)
0.38
(9.7)
1.20
(30.5)
2.20
(55.9)
3.35
(85.1)
17.83
(452.9)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 9.6 8.5 10.3 9.2 6.3 5.1 7.3 6.5 4.5 7.0 9.7 10.7 94.7
Average relative humidity (%) 77.5 74.7 74.1 72.2 71.3 69.6 70.3 69.4 70.2 73.1 74.1 76.8 72.8
Mean monthly sunshine hours 218.4 210.1 239.6 235.6 275.3 290.1 293.5 284.6 270.7 247.0 211.6 213.1 2,989.6
Percent possible sunshine 64 65 64 62 68 72 71 72 74 68 63 63 67
Source: NOAA (relative humidity and sun 1961−1990)[2][3][4]

Demographics

As of the 2000 Census, there were 20,146 people, 5,880 households, and 4,421 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,328.7 people per square mile (513.1/km²). There were 6,079 housing units at an average density of 400.9 per square mile (154.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 10.06% White, 0.24% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 53.62% Asian, 9.91% Pacific Islander, 1.47% from other races, and 24.42% from two or more races. 8.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 5,880 households out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% are non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.29 and the average family size is 3.76.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $46,656, and the median income for a family was $52,610. Males had a median income of $30,659 versus $26,282 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,049. 11.8% of the population and 9.7% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 14.8% of those under the age of 18 and 11.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Education

Public schools in Kahului include Maui High School, Maui Waena Intermediate School, Kahului Elementary School, Lihikai Elementary School, and Pomaika'i Elementary School.

Points of interest

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kahului, Hawaii.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Kahului.

References

  1. "Kahului CDP, Hawaii." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on May 21, 2009.
  2. "NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  3. "HI Kahului AP". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  4. "WMO climate normals for Kahului, HI 1961−1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
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