Wai‘anae Ecological Characterization

Ka Po‘e
The People
Socioeconomic Profile

Population Trends

The population history of the Wai‘anae moku reflects important trends that affected the Hawaiian Islands as a whole. At the time of Western contact, around 1780, it is estimated that the population of the Wai‘anae coast was about 4,000 to 6,000 (McGrath and others 1973). Western contact brought disease, including an epidemic in 1804 that is thought to have claimed up to half of the population throughout the islands. By 1880, the Wai‘anae moku's population had dropped to its all-time low of about 500 people (McGrath and others 1973). The chart below shows the growth in population since that time.

graph of population growth over time (1980 through 2000)

Population Growth Chart

Source: McGrath and others 1973, U.S. Census 1990, 2000.

"What makes this place special is our traditional culture, our ‘ohana, the family. Also what makes it for me is my heritage here. My family has been here for over a hundred years. I'm also proud of my ancestors in Wai‘anae Valley. There's a purpose for all of us, that's why I still live in Wai‘anae."

– Verna Landford-Bright, Wai‘anae resident

Significant population increases are associated with historical events and trends that had profound impacts on life in the Wai‘anae moku:

  • Growth of the Wai‘anae Sugar Plantation throughout the latter part of the 19th century
  • Military development in the 1940s
  • Lifting of rent control in Honolulu in 1950, coupled with the availability of low-cost residential property in the Wai‘anae moku that followed the closure of the sugar plantation in 1946 (McGrath and others 1973)

"My grandparents came here first from Japan. They landed at Pōka‘ī Bay to work the sugar plantations. My grandmother started all kinds of things, like a restaurant in Iwilei."

– Isao Hanabusa, Wai‘anae resident

The Wai‘anae moku's population has increased dramatically since 1950, from about 7,000 people to more than 42,000 as of 2000. The following table shows the growth of the Wai‘anae moku between 1970 and 2000, and how it compares to growth on O‘ahu and statewide. In that period, Wai‘anae's population grew at a greater rate than that of O‘ahu or the state as a whole.

Population Growth (1970 to 2000) Compared to O‘ahu and the State of Hawai‘i

Area

Population Size

Percent Change

1970

1980

1990

2000

1970 - 1980

1980 - 1990

1990 - 2000

Hawai‘i

769,913

964,691

1,108,229

1,211,537

25.3

14.9

9.3

O‘ahu

630,528

762,565

836,231

876,156

20.9

9.7

4.8

Wai‘anae Moku

24,077

31,487

37,411

42,259

30.8

18.8

13.0
Sources: State of Hawaii DBEDT 1987, 2002.

Wai‘anae's total population growth between 1980 and 2000 was 34.2 percent, the third highest growth rate of any district on O‘ahu.

Growth of Wai‘anae Moku (1980 to 2000) Compared to Other Districts on O‘ahu

District

Population Size
1980

Population Size
2000

Percent Change

Honolulu

365,048

372,279

2.0

Ko‘olaupoko

109,373

117,994

7.9

Ko‘olauloa

14,195

18,899

33.1

Waialua

9,849

14,027

42.4

Wahiawa

41,562

38,370

-10.1

Wai‘anae

31,487

42,259

34.2

‘Ewa

191,051

272,328

42.5

Total (O‘ahu)

762,565

876,156

14.9
Source: State of Hawaii DBEDT 2002.

The Wai‘anae moku's population, as a proportion of the total population of O‘ahu, has increased steadily from about 3.8 percent of the population of O‘ahu in 1970 to 4.8 percent in 2000. The General Plan for the City and County of Honolulu (that is, for the island of O‘ahu) calls for the Wai‘anae District's proportional share of O‘ahu's 2010 population to be between 3.8 and 4.2 percent. Meeting this goal of limited growth is considered important in order to maintain the rural quality of the Wai‘anae moku.

Within the Wai‘anae moku, all communities grew in population between 1990 and 2000 with the exception of the town of Mākaha and the Mākaha and Mākua Valleys. Mā‘ili and Wai‘anae were the fastest growing communities in that period.

Growth of Communities (Census Tracts) Within Wai‘anae Moku, 1990 to 2000

Tract No.

Community

Population

Percent Change

1990

2000

96.01

Nānākuli

6,065

6,854

13.0

96.03

Lualualei

6,895

7,946

15.2

96.04

Mā‘ili

4,696

5,625

19.8

97.01, 97.02

Wai‘anae

11,448

13,605

18.8

98.01, 98.02 1

Mākaha, Mākaha Valley, and Mākua Valley

8,307

8,229

-0.9

1Census Tract 98 was not divided into tracts 98.01 and 98.02 at the time of the 1990 census.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau 1990, 2000.

References Cited

State of Hawaii Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT). 1987. Statistics by Districts 1987. http://www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/srs/sr200.pdf

State of Hawaii Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT). 2002. State of Hawaii Data Book.

McGrath, E.J., K.M. Brewer, and B. Krauss. 1973. Historic Waianae, A Place of Kings. Island Heritage Limited. Norfolk Island, Australia.

U.S. Census Bureau. 1990. American FactFinder Web Site. http://factfinder.census.gov

U.S. Census Bureau. 2000. Census 2000: American FactFinder Web Site. http://factfinder.census.gov

Related Reference

City and County of Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting. 2000. Waianae Sustainable Communities Plan. http://honoluludpp.org/planning/Waianae/Wai1.pdf

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