Car Hire in Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawai‘i. In the Hawaiian language, honolulu means "sheltered bay" or "place of shelter." The city is found over the southeast coast of the island of O‘ahu. The term also refers to the District of Honolulu (see Geography below). Based on latest U.S. Census estimates (2004), the population of the district is 390,000 and therefore of the county is 900,000. In Hawai‘i, municipal governments operate only at the county level, and the City & County of Honolulu encompasses most of the Island of O‘ahu (approximately 600 square miles).
Neighborhoods and districts
View of downtown Honolulu at Bishop and King streets with First Hawaiian Bank building (left) and Bank of Hawai‘i (right)Downtown Honolulu is the financial, commercial and governmental center of Hawai‘i. Around the waterfront is Aloha Tower, which for several years was the tallest establishment in Hawai‘i. Currently the tallest building is the 450-foot-tall (137 m) First Hawaiian Center, located on King & Bishop Streets. Over the eastern side of downtown is the historical center of Hawai‘i's state government: the Hawai‘i State Capitol, ‘Iolani Palace, Honolulu Hale, and also the statue of King Kamehameha I tend to be the central popular features of this area, together with a lot of government buildings.
Kaka‘ako is a light-industrial district between Downtown and Waikiki which has seen a large-scale redevelopment effort in the past decade. It is home to two major shopping areas, Ward Warehouse and Ward Centre. Other redevelopment projects are planned in this area, together with a new medical school campus for the University of Hawai‘i.
Waikiki is the famous tourist district of Honolulu, found within the Ala Wai Canal and the Pacific Ocean. Various hotels, shops, and also other nightlife are located along Kalakaua and Kuhio Avenues. World-famous Waikiki Beach lures in thousands of visitors a year. Just west of Waikiki is Ala Moana Center, the world's largest open-air shopping center. Most of the hotel rooms on O‘ahu are located in Waikiki.
Downtown Honolulu as seen from the Capitol District Manoa and Makiki are residential neighborhoods situated in adjacent valleys just inland of Downtown and Waikiki. Manoa Valley is home to the leading campus of the University of Hawai‘i.
Palolo and Kaimuki are neighborhoods east of Manoa and Makiki, inland from Diamond Head. Palolo Valley parallels Manoa and is also a residential neighborhood. Kaimuki is primarily a residential neighborhood which has a commercial strip centered on Wai‘alae Avenue. Chaminade Universityis found in Kaimuki.
Wai‘alae and Kahala tend to be the upper-class districts of Honolulu located directly east of Diamond Head, where there are numerous high-priced homes. Also found on these neighborhoods are the Wai‘alae Country Club and also the Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
East Honolulu includes the residential communities of Aina Haina, Niu Valley, and Hawai‘i Kai. These are definitely considered upper-middle-class neighborhoods.
Nu‘uanu and Pauoa are middle-class to upper-middle-class residential districts located inland of downtown Honolulu. The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific is placed here.
Kalihi and Palama are working-class neighborhoods with lots of government housing innovations. Lower Kalihi, toward the ocean, is a light-industrial district.
Salt Lake and Aliamanu are (mostly) residential areas built in extinct tuff cones across the western end of the Honolulu District, near the Honolulu International Airport.
Moanalua is two neighborhoods and a valley at the western end of Honolulu, and home to Tripler Army Medical Center.
Performing arts
Founded in 1900, the Honolulu Symphony is the earliest symphony orchestra west of the Rocky Mountains. Other classical music ensembles include the Hawaii Opera Theatre. Honolulu also is a center for Hawaiian music. The main music venues include the Neal Blaisdell Center Concert Hall, the Waikiki Shell, and the Hawaii Theatre.
Honolulu comes with several venues for live theatre, like the Diamond Head Theatre and the Manoa Valley Theatre.
Visual arts
Located near downtown Honolulu, the premier venue for visual arts in Hawai'i is the Honolulu Academy of Arts. The Honolulu Academy of Arts features the best collection of Western and Asian art in Hawai'i and also hosts a year-round film and video program devoted to the presentation of art house and world cinema in the museum's Doris Duke Theatre. The Contemporary Museum in Makiki is the main museum of contemporary art in the state.
Various other museums, aquariums, zoos, as well as cultural centers
The Bishop Museum is the largest museum in the state of Hawaii and houses thousands of natural history specimens and cultural artifacts pertaining to Hawaii and also the Pacific.
The Waikiki Aquarium and the Honolulu Zoo are both located in Waikiki near Kapiolani Park.
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