Welcome To Honolulu SAFeDATA

Honolulu is the capital of and the most thickly settled city in the U.S. state of Hawai?i. In the Hawaiian language, honolulu means "sheltered bay" or "place of shelter." The census-designated place (CDP) is located along the southeast coast of the island of Oahu. The term also refers to the District of Honolulu (see Geography below). As of July 1, 2004, the US Census Bureau estimate for Honolulu puts the populus at 377,260 and that of the city and county (essentially, the Island of Oahu) at 900,000. In Hawaii, local governments operate only at the county level, and the City & County of Honolulu encompasses all of the Island of Oahu (approximately 600 sq miles/1,600 square kilometres).

Captain William Brown of England was the first overseaser to sail, in 1794, into what is now Honolulu Harbor. More overseas ships would follow, making the port of Honolulu a focal point for merchant ships traveling between North America and Asia.

Despite the turbulent history of the late 19th century and early twentieth century, which saw the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, Hawaii`s subsequent annexation by the US, and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Honolulu would remain the capital, largest city, and main airfield and seaport of the Hawaiian Islands.

An economic and tourism boom following statehood brought rapid economic growth to Honolulu and Hawaii. Modern air travel would bring thousands, eventually 1,000,000s (per annum) of visitors to the Islands. Today, Honolulu is a modern city with numerous high-rise buildings, and Waikiki is the center of the tourism industry in Hawaii, with thousands of hotel rooms.

Currently, there is no railway system in Honolulu. The last major attempt was called the Honolulu Area Rail Rapid Transit project. Popularly known as HART, the twenty-one station rail system almost came to fruition before Mayor Eileen Anderson cancelled the project in 1981 and returned grants and funding to their sources, arguing the project would break her vow of fiscal responsibility.

Several attempts had been made since Anderson`s cancellation of HART to construct a fixed rail mass transit system. All attempts stalled in Honolulu City Council hearings. In 2004, the city, county and state approved development of an action plan for a system to be built in several phases. The initial line proposed linking Kapolei in West Oahu to the University of Hawaii at Manoa. However, on December 22, 2006 the city council approved a fixed-guideway system meant to accommodate either rail or buses, running from Kapolei in West Oahu to Ala Moana, with spurs into Waikiki and Manoa.