Oahu, Hawaii’s third largest island, covers an area of 597 square miles and features 112 miles of coastline, including some of the world’s most beautiful and most famous beaches. At 44 miles long and 30 miles wide, Oahu packs an amazing amount into a relatively small island. From mountains and valleys with over 100 trails to explore, beaches and waterfalls to enjoy, historical and cultural sites to visit, numerous neighborhoods and resort areas, boutiques and restaurants ranging from hip and trendy to local and casual to very high-end, any kind of race or sporting event you can think of, and a population so diverse that everyone is a minority. There is more to see and do on Oahu than you could fit into a year, even if you spent every day doing something new.
Oahu is also known as “The Gathering Place,” and it lives up to the name. Over 900,000 people call Oahu home. That’s more people than on any other Hawaiian island by far. Oahu’s residents come from all over the world – the U.S. Mainland, China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Brazil, Europe, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand to name a few. Some locals are descendants of the Polynesians who discovered Hawaii, roughly 1500 years ago. Others are descendants of people who came to work in the sugar cane and pineapple fields in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. Some are descendants of Hawaii’s first missionaries who came from Europe, others planned their move to Oahu strategically, and others felt so at home while on vacation that they decided not to leave. Whether on the streets of Waikiki, downtown Honolulu, Haleiwa on the North Shore, Kapolei or Kaneohe, you’ll come face to face with the cultures and people that make up Oahu in the languages and accents you hear, restaurants and markets you pass, and traditions you encounter (like taking off your slippers – flip flops – before entering someone’s home, greeting friends with a kiss on the cheek, and the prevalence of eating with chopsticks even when you’re not eating Asian food). .
The answer to “How big is Oahu?” is more than its physical size and population. Once the question has been answered literally, Oahu’s size becomes relative. To a person from Molokai, with one main road and no stoplights, Oahu, with her bustling cities and resort areas, shopping centers, and highways, is enormous. To someone from Manhattan, Oahu probably seems very small. Once you’ve lived here for a few months and start running into people you know when you’re grocery shopping, grabbing your morning coffee, going to the movies, and taking a Saturday morning run, Oahu can start to seem like a small place. Driving along the Windward Coast from Honolulu to the North Shore on the Kalanianaole and Kamehameha Highways that hug the coastline and offer spectacular views of the ocean, the mountains, and quitter neighborhoods, Oahu can seem endless. Experiencing the “Coconut Wireless,” when news travels so quickly it makes your head spin, reminds you how small and close-knit communities on Oahu actually are. Going for a swim at Ala Moana or Kaimana Beach Parks puts into perspective exactly how far 112 miles of coastline is and how long it would take to make it that distance relying on your human strength alone.
Oahu’s size is evident all over the place! In the waves at Pipeline during the winter months. In the view of Kaneohe Bay from the Pali Lookout. In the view of the Pacific Ocean from the other side of the island at Kaena Point. In the drop in your stomach when you jump off the rock at Waimea Bay. In the panoramic view from the top of Diamond Head. In the 26.2 mile course of the Honolulu Marathon. In the lei that is strung around Kapiolani Park every year on Lei Day (May 1).
How big is Oahu? It’s very big and very small at the same time. It just depends on where you happen to be standing when the question is asked.
Sorry answer