Hilo, Hawaii

**Hilo** () is the second-largest CDP in the State of Hawaii and the largest settlement on the island of Hawaii with a population of 44,186 during the 2020 census.

Hilo is the county seat of Hawaii County, Hawaii, and is in the South Hilo District. The town overlooks Hilo Bay.

Hilo is near two shield volcanoes
- Mauna Loa, an active volcano, and
- Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano
Some of the best ground-based astronomical observatories are on Mauna Kea.

Hilo is home to the University of Hawaii at Hilo, as well as the Merrie Monarch Festival, a week-long celebration of ancient and modern hula, which takes place every year after Easter. It is also home to the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation, one of the world's leading producers of macadamia nuts. It is served by Hilo International Airport, inside the CDP.

## History

Although there is not much archaeological evidence, people lived in the areas along Hilo Bay, Wailuku and Wailoa Rivers before the Western world made contact.  Missionaries came to the district in the early to middle 1800s, founding several churches, notably Haili Church, in the area of modern Hilo.

Hilo expanded as sugar plantations in the surrounding area created new jobs and drew in many workers from Asia, making the city a trading center.

A breakwater across Hilo Bay was begun in the 1900s and completed in 1929. On April 1, 1946, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake near the Aleutian Islands created a fourteen-meter high tsunami that hit Hilo 4.9 hours later, killing 160 people. In response an early warning system, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, was established in 1949 to track these killer waves and provide warning.  This tsunami also meant the end of the Hawaii Consolidated Railway, and instead the Hawaii Belt Road was built north of Hilo using some of the railbed.

On May 23, 1960, another tsunami, caused by a 9.5 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Chile the previous day, claimed 61 lives allegedly due to people's failure to heed warning sirens. Low-lying bayfront areas of the city on Waiākea peninsula and along Hilo Bay, previously populated, were rededicated as parks and memorials.

## Geography and climate

Hilo is at  (19.705520, -155.085918).

Hilo is classified by the United States Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP), and has a total area of ,  of which is land and  of which (7.10%) is water.

Hilo features a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification: _Af_), with substantial rainfall throughout the course of the year. Hilo's location on the eastern side of the island of Hawaii (windward relative to the trade winds) makes it the fourth-wettest city in the United States, behind the southeast Alaskan cities of Whittier, Ketchikan and Yakutat, and one of the wettest in the world. An average of around  of rain fell at Hilo International Airport annually between 1971–2000, with 275 days of the year receiving some rain. At some other weather stations in Hilo the annual rainfall is above .

Monthly average temperatures range from  in January to  in August. The highest recorded temperature was  on May 20, 1996, and the lowest  on February 21, 1962. The wettest year was 1994 with  and the driest year was 1983 with .  The most rainfall in one month was  in December 1954.  The most rainfall in 24 hours was  on November 2, 2000.

Hilo's location on the shore of the funnel-shaped Hilo Bay also makes it vulnerable to tsunamis.

## Education

There are many educational institutions in Hilo. Some of these are the University of Hawaii at Hilo and Hawaii Community College.

## Culture

- East Hawaii Cultural Center
- Hilo Art Museum
- Lyman Museum
- Pacific Tsunami Museum

## Notable natives and residents

- Rodney Anoa'i
- Keiko Bonk
- Ed Case
- Titus Coan
- Wesley Correira
- David McHattie Forbes

- Harry Kim
- High Chiefess Kapiolani
- Alii Nui Keōua Kuahuula
- High Chiefess Kinoole o liliha
- Robert Kiyosaki
- George Lycurgus

- Troy Mandaloniz
- Gerald Okamura
- BJ Penn
- Benjamin Pitman
- Bob Shane
- William Herbert Shipman

## Points of interest

- Banyan Drive
- Coconut Island
- East Hawaii Cultural Center
- Haili Church
- Hilo Tropical Gardens
- Hilo Art Museum
- Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii
- Kalakaua Park
- Liliuokalani Park and Gardens
- Lyman Museum
- Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation
- Mokupāpapa Discovery Center for Northwestern Hawaii's remote coral reefs
- Nani Mau Gardens
- Naha Stone (associated with Kamehameha I) in front of the Hilo Public Library
- Onomea Bay Scenic Drive
- Pacific Tsunami Museum
- Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo
- Prince Kuhio Plaza
- Rainbow Falls (Waianuenue) & Boiling Pots on the Wailuku River
- University of Hawaii at Hilo Botanical Gardens
- Wailoa River State Recreation Area with King Kamehameha Statue

## Other websites

- Hilo Downtown Improvement Association
- Pacific Tsunami Museum
- `Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai`i

## Infobox (settlement)

- **official name**: Hilo, Hawaii
- **settlement type**: Census-designated place, CDP
- **image caption**: Aerial view of Hilo bay and city.
- **image map**: Hawaii_County_Hawaii_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Hilo_Highlighted.svg
- **mapsize**: 250px
- **map caption**: Location in Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County and the state of Hawaii
- **subdivision type**: List of countries, Country
- **subdivision name**: United States
- **subdivision type1**: Political divisions of the United States, State
- **subdivision name1**: Hawaii
- **subdivision type2**: List of counties in Hawaii, County
- **subdivision name2**: Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii
- **unit pref**: Imperial
- **area total km2**: 151.0
- **area land km2**: 138.3
- **area water km2**: 12.7
- **area total sq mi**: 58.3
- **area land sq mi**: 53.4
- **area water sq mi**: 4.9
- **population as of**: 2020 United States Census, 2020
- **population total**: 44186
- **population density km2**: auto
- **population density sq mi**: auto
- **timezone**: Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time Zone, Hawaii-Aleutian
- **utc offset**: -10
- **elevation m**: 18
- **elevation ft**: 59
- **postal code type**: ZIP codes
- **postal code**: 96720-96721
- **area code**: Area code 808, 808
- **blank name**: Federal Information Processing Standard, FIPS code
- **blank info**: 15-14650
- **blank1 name**: Geographic Names Information System, GNIS feature ID
- **blank1 info**: 0359187