Traveling and Hotels

It is as fast-paced and dynamic This is definitely not the place to go for a "get-away-from-it-all" Hawaiian vacation. state of Hawaii. It is the most populous census-designated place (CDP) in the U.S. Today, with nearly one million people in its metropolitan area (80% of the state's population), Honolulu is the cultural, industrial, commercial, and governmental center of Hawaii, with Waikiki Beach the epicenter of the tourist industry.

The late 1800s and early 1900s saw the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, annexation by the United States, and an attack by the Japanese on nearby Pearl Harbor, but Honolulu's stature never wavered. At the same time, descendants of missionaries who arrived in the early 1800s established their headquarters in Honolulu, making it the center of business. Eventually, in 1845, Kamehameha III officially moved the kingdom's capital from Lahaina on Maui to Honolulu. Its ideally located port made Honolulu a perfect stop for merchant ships traveling between North America and Asia. The name Honolulu means "sheltered bay" or "peace of shelter" in Hawaiian, and its natural harbor catapulted this humble village on the southern shore of the island of Oahu to importance when, in 1809, King Kamehameha I moved his royal court from the island of Hawaii to Oahu.

Honolulu is a thriving city, with beaches that draw crowds from around the world. It is the center of government, transportation, and commerce for the state, and home to its best known tourist destination, Waikiki Beach. Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, is the capital and largest city of the state of Hawaii.