Hilo

Hilo is the county seat of the County of Hawaii and is in the District of South Hilo. The city overlooks Hilo Bay and has views of two shield volcanoes, Mauna Loa, an active volcano, and Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano. It is home to the University of Hawaii at Hilo, Imiloa Astronomy Center, as well as the Merrie Monarch Festival, a week-long celebration, including three nights of competition, of ancient and modern hula. Hilo is on the eastern and windward side of the island and has a total area of 58.3 square miles (138.3 km²) It is classified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP), which is 4.9 square miles and 4.7 km². It makes it the fourth-wettest city in the United States, behind Alaskan cities of Ketchikan and Yakutan, and one of the world's leading producers of macadamia nuts. The Hilo bay-front has been destroyed by tsunamis twice, allegedly due to the failure of people to heed warning sirens. On April 1, 1946, an 8.6-magnitude earthquake near the Aleutian Islands created a 46-foot-high (14 m) tsunami that hit Hilo 4. 9 hours later, killing 160 people. This tsunami also caused the end of the Hawaii Consolidated Railway, and the Hawaii Belt Road was built north of Hilo using some of the old railbed.

History

Oral history gives the meaning of Hilo as "to twist" Hilo expanded as sugar plantations in the surrounding area created jobs and drew in many workers from Asia. A breakwater across Hilo Bay was begun in the first decade of the 20th century and completed in 1929. On April 1, 1946, an 8.6-magnitude earthquake near the Aleutian Islands created a 46-foot-high (14 m) tsunami that hit Hilo 4.9 hours later. In response, an early warning system, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, was established in 1949 to track these killer waves and provide warning. On May 22, 1960, another tsunami, caused by a 9.5-m Magnitude earthquake off the coast of Chile that day, claimed 61 lives, allegedly due to the failure of people to heed warning sirens. The downtown found a new role in the 1980s as the city's cultural center with several galleries and museums opening; the Palace Theater reopened in 1998 as an arthouse cinema.Closure of the sugar plantations (including those in Hmkua) during the 1990s hurt the local economy, coinciding with a general statewide slump. Hilo in recent years has seen commercial and population growth. The name "Hilo" applied to a district encompassing much of the east coast of the island of Hawaii, now divided into the District of South Hilo and The District of North Hilo. When William Ellis visited in 1823, the main settlement there was Waikea.

Geography

Hilo has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af), with substantial rainfall throughout the year. It is the fourth-wettest city in the United States, behind the southeast Alaskan cities of Whittier, Ketchikan and Yakutat. An average of around 126.72 inches (3,220 mm) of rain fell at Hilo International Airport annually between 1981 and 2010. The wettest year was 1994 with 182.81 inches (4,643.4 mm), and the driest was 1983, with 68.09 inches (1,729.5 mm) The most rainfall in 24 hours was 27.24 inches (691.9 mm) on November 2, 2000. At some weather stations in upper Hilo the annual rainfall is above 200 inches (5,100 mm)Monthly mean temperatures range from 71.2 °F (21.8 °C) in February to 76.4 °F [24.7 °C] in August. Hilo's location on the shore of the funnel-shaped Hilo Bay also makes it vulnerable to tsunamis. It has a total area of 58.3 square miles (151.0 km²) of which (8.4%) is land and 4.9 sq miles (12.7 km²), of which 8.4% is water. The highest recorded temperature was 94 °F on May 20, 1996, and the lowest 53 °C on February 21, 1962.

Demographics

As of the census of 2020, 44,186 people lived in 16,225 households in the census-designated place. The median household income on the 2020 census was $65,727. The racial makeup was 32% Asian, 18.4% White, 10% Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander, 0.8% African American,0.1% American Indian & Alaska Native, and 0.6% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13% of the population. The population density was 796.7 inhabitants per square mile (307.6/km²). The 16,905 housing units reflected an average density of 311.3 per squaremile (120.2/ km²) in 2010 (No update on the Census for 2020). The average household size was 2.71. The age distribution was 21.1 per cent under age 18, 4.5% under age 5, and 21.10 per cent 65 or older. The percent of females are 51.1%. the percent of males are 49.9 per cent. the median age of the place is 21.5 years old, and the average age of death is 65.1 years old. the population density is 796 per square inch (307 per square kilometer), and the housing units reflect an average of 311 per square centiles (120 per centiles) the place has a population density of 796/square feet (307/cm2) The median income for a household in the place in 2010 was $60,000, and for a family of four it was $70,000.

Transport

Hilo is served by Hilo International Airport, where Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines operate. The Big Island's largest harbor, Hilo Harbor, is on Hilo Bay. Hilo is also served by the county's Hele-On Bus Company, which operates the Hilo-Hele Bus Service and the Hele On Bus Service. It is located on the Big Island, which is part of the U.S. State of Hawaii. The island is home to the University of Hawaii at Hilo, which was founded in 1883. It was named after the town of Hilo in the Hawaiian Islands, where it was first established in 1881. The city is also home to Hilo Beach, which dates back to the 18th century, and to the town's first post office, which opened in 1887. It has a population of 1,816. The airport is the largest airport in the state, with a total passenger capacity of 2,822. The county's largest port is Hilo Harbour, which has a passenger traffic capacity of 4,000. It also has a bus service, which serves Hilo and the surrounding areas, as well as the city of Hele on Bus Company and the county of Heelon. The town is served on the island's main road, which runs from Hilo to the mainland and back again to the island of Big Island. Its name is derived from the word "hilo," which means "hollow" or "hilly" in Hawaiian.

Education

Hilo is home to two post-secondary institutions, the University of Hawaii at Hilo and Hawaii Community College. Charter schools in the area serve primary and secondary students. Hilo is also home to the Waiakea Primary and Secondary School District, which serves both primary and high school students. The Hilo area has a history of violence against women and men. The city has a reputation for being a hotbed of crime. The town has been home to a number of high-profile criminals, including the Hilo Gang and the Hualalai Gang. It has also been the scene of several high school shootings, including one in which a student was killed by a stray bullet in the early morning hours of September 11, 2011. The school district has been the site of several violent incidents, including a shooting in which two students were killed by an unknown assailant in the middle of the day. The area also has a long history of violent crime, including two murders in the 1970s and two in the 1980s, when a man was shot in the head by a gang of gang members in the town of Kailua-Kona. In the 1990s, the town was home to one of the most violent crimes in the state, when an alleged gang member was killed in a house fire in Hilo. The crime rate in the city has been in the mid-teens and early 20s, with the highest levels of violence in the community in the late 1980s and 1990s.

Government

Although sometimes called a city, Hilo is not an incorporated city, and does not have a municipal government. The entire island, which is between the slightly larger state of Connecticut and smaller Rhode Island in size, is under the jurisdiction of the County of Hawaii.Hilo is home to county, state, and federal offices. The city of Hilo has a population of about 2,000 people. It is the largest city in the state of Hawaii, and the second-largest city in Hawaii. Hilo's population is less than 1,000, making it one of the smallest cities in the U.S. and the smallest in Hawaii in terms of population in the history of the state. It also has the smallest population in Hawaii, at about 1,200 people. The population of the island is about 1.2 million. The county seat is Hilo, which has about 2.3 million residents. The island is the second largest in Hawaii after the island of Oahu, with about 2 million people living in the island's capital city of Honolulu. The largest city on the island, Honolulu, has about 4,000 residents. It has the largest population in all of Hawaii and is the only city in Honolulu that is not a county seat or incorporated city. The capital city is Honolulu, the state capital, with around 2,500 residents. H Milo is the county seat for the county of Hawaii; it is also home to state, federal, and local government offices, including the state legislature.

Economy

The oldest city in the Hawaiian archipelago, Hilo's economy was historically based on the sugar plantations of its surrounding areas, prior to their closure in the 1990s. Hilo is home to the Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo, shopping centers, cafés and other eateries, movie theaters, hotels, restaurants, and a developed downtown area with a Farmers Market. The local orchid society hosts the largest and most comprehensive orchid show in the state, the annual Hilo Orchid Show, which has been presented since 1951 and draws visitors and entrants worldwide. The Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation is in Hilo, south of the main town off Hawaii Route 11, north of Keaau. Astronomy on Mauna Kea was developed at the invitation of the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce following the collapse of the sugar cane industry. It has an economic impact of $100 million annually on the island. It is notable for the banyan trees planted by Babe Ruth, Amelia Earhart and other celebrities, and for the Imiloa Planetarium and Museum, home to most of the astronomical observatories on the Big Island. It gets less than half the annual visitors as the western coast of the Big island, with much sunnier weather and significantly less rain, with sandy and swimmable beaches and numerous major resorts. The annual Merrie Monarch Festival, the world's preeminent hula competition and festival, is held in the spring of each year beginning on Easter Sunday.

Culture

East Hawaii Cultural Center is home to the East Hawaii Cultural Museum. The Pacific Tsunami Museum is located on the island of Kaua'i. Merrie Monarch Festival is held at the Lyman House Memorial Museum in Honolulu. The museum is also home to a number of other museums and galleries.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Hilo, Hawaii County, Hawaii = 87. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 77. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 99. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Hilo = 9.7 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 1,191 individuals with a median age of 37.8 age the population grows by 6.10% in Hilo, Hawaii County, Hawaii population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 760 residents per square mile of area (290/km²). There are average 2.63 people per household in the 15,864 households with an average household income of $56,261 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 10.40% of the available work force and has dropped -4.58% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 20.44%. The number of physicians in Hilo per 100,000 population = 185.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Hilo = 128.2 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 277. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 175. 83 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 63.5 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 49, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Hilo, Hawaii County, Hawaii which are owned by the occupant = 55.47%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 33 years with median home cost = $229,380 and home appreciation of -11.50%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $2.50 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.