Kailua Hawaii History & Facts

Kailua is a census-designated place (CDP) in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States. It lies in the Koʻolaupoko District of the island of Oʻahu on the windward coast at Kailua Bay. It is in the judicial district and the ahupua'a named Ko'olaupoko. It is 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Honolulu – over Nu‘uanu Pali.

In the Hawaiian language Kailua means "two seas" or "two currents", a contraction of the words kai (meaning "sea" or "sea water") and ʻelua (meaning "two"); it is so named because of the two former fishponds in the district (Kawainui and Kaʻelepulu) or the two currents that run through Kailua Bay.

Kailua is primarily a residential community, with a centralized commercial district along Kailua Road. The population was 50,000 in 1992. In 2017 census, the population had dropped to 38,000. The population was 40,514 at the 2020 census.

Places of note in Kailua include Kailua Beach Park, Kaʻōhao or Lanikai Beach, Kawainui Marsh, Maunawili Falls, and Marine Corps Base Hawaii. It was home to Barack Obama’s winter White House.

During the reign of King Kākuhihewa and his successors, Kanekapu, Kahoowaha, Kauakahiakahoowaha, and Kualiʻi, Kailua replaced Waikiki as the residential seat of the Oʻahu Rulers (aliʻi nui of Oʻahu). Many ancient temple ruins, such as those at Ulupo Heiau State Historic Site, are in the area. After the Oʻahu army's defeat by King Kamehameha the Great at the Battle of Nuʻuanu in 1795, the political capital and residential seat of the aliʻi nui of Oʻahu was relocated from Kailua to Honolulu.

Kailua is located at 21°23′51″N 157°44′22″W (21.397370, −157.739515). Nearby towns include Kāneʻohe, Maunawili, and Waimānalo.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has an area of 10.6 square miles (27.4 km2), of which 7.8 square miles (20.1 km2) is land and 2.8 square miles (7.3 km2) (26.62%) is water. A significant portion of the water area is Kawainui Marsh, the largest wetland in the Hawaiian Islands and a Ramsar Convention site.

As of the census of 2020, there were an estimated 40,514 people and 12,387 households with an average of 3.04 people per household in Kailua. The population density was 5,212.8 inhabitants per square mile (2012.7/km2), which was less dense than that of Honolulu (5842.0 per square mile or 2255.6/km2). There were 4,322 housing units in Kailua at an average density of 121.7 per square mile (47.0/km2).

Historically, most tourism on the island of O'ahu has centered around Waikiki and other tourism-designated areas. But tourism has also been a major economic force in Kailua, and tourism-related jobs have historically made up roughly one-third of total employment in Hawaii. The Obama family vacations, as well as coverage from various social media and travel sites, sparked new interest in Kailua as a tourist destination and led to an influx of tourists to Kailua. This influx led to pushback from some Kailua residents, prompting proposals of legislation to limit tourist activity there.

Famous Peoples From Kailua Hawaii

Scott Feldman

Scott Wynne Feldman (born February 7, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, and Cincinnati Reds.

After going 25–2 in his first two years of college baseball, he was drafted in the 30th round by the Texas Rangers in 2003. Feldman had Tommy John surgery later that year. He followed it up with a minor league career in which he had a 2.70 ERA, and held batters to only 6.6 hits per 9 innings, pitching almost exclusively in relief.

After pitching out of the bullpen while bouncing back and forth between Texas and its Triple-A affiliate in 2005–07, Feldman converted to a starter in 2008. He established himself in 2009 with a breakout season for the Rangers. He was 17–8, tied for 4th in the American League in wins, and tied the major league record with 12 victories on the road. As the Reds' Opening Day starter in 2017, he became one of 52 pitchers to have started Opening Day for at least three major league teams.

Feldman was born in Kailua, Hawaii, and grew up in Burlingame, California. He is Jewish, as is his father, and the family belonged to Peninsula Temple Sholom in Burlingame for a period of time. His father, an FBI agent who grew up in a Pennsylvania coal mining town and played college baseball at Duquesne, coached Feldman in youth baseball in Northern California.

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