More historic than 30% of U.S. towns · #27 of 93 in Hawaii. What drives it
Its Register listing is the Kahaluu Fish Pond. Most of Kahaluu was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1970. Below: maps from 1954 on.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Kahaluu is more historic than 30% of U.S. towns, #27 of 93 in Hawaii. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Kahaluu’s overall grade.
Few Hawaii towns list much on the Register (a typical Hawaii town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Kahaluu’s 1.8 sits above most of its state (70% of Hawaii towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.8 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Kahaluu’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Kahaluu yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Kahaluʻu (; Hawaiian pronunciation: [ˈkɐhɐˈluʔu]) is a residential community and census-designated place (CDP) in the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, in the District of Koolaupoko on the island of Oahu. In Hawaiian kaha luʻu means "diving place". As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a total population of 5,241.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 4,738 to 5,241 (+11%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Kahaluu, 1900 to 1954
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Kahaluu is more historic than 30% of U.S. towns, #27 of 93 in Hawaii. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Kahaluu?
One place: the Kahaluu Fish Pond (listed 1973).
How old are the homes in Kahaluu?
1% of Kahaluu’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.8 points), against a typical 1.7% for a Hawaii town; the median home was built in 1970.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From the National Register of Historic Places (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
