Kailua’s post office opened in 1900, and 4 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 21% of U.S. towns · #38 of 93 in Hawaii. What drives it
Most of Kailua was built recently: 0.8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985. Below: 6 old photos and papers and maps from 1919 on.
Founding year: the first Kailua post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Kailua’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Kailua is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #38 of 93 in Hawaii. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Kailua’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 Kailua’s 1.8 sits above most of its state (73% of Hawaii towns have fewer) while its 4 listings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to C+. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). 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 Kailua’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
During the reign of King Kākuhihewa and his successors, Kanekapu, Kahoowaha, Kauakahiakahoowaha, and Kualiʻi, Kailua replaced Waikiki as the residential seat of the Oʻahu Rulers (aliʻi nui of Oʻahu). Many ancient temple ruins, such as those at Ulupo Heiau State Historic Site, are in the area. After the Oʻahu army's defeat by King Kamehameha the Great at the Battle of Nuʻuanu in 1795, the political capital and residential seat of the aliʻi nui of Oʻahu was relocated from Kailua to Honolulu.
The Kailua post office opened in 1900, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Kailua rank for history?
Kailua is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #38 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 Kailua?
4 listings: 2 buildings and 2 sites.
How old are the homes in Kailua?
0.8% of Kailua’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.7% for a Hawaii town; the median home was built in 1985.
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 Library of Congress (6), the National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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