Metro Honolulu
While the various Oahu neighborhoods listed in this chapter are often referred to collectively as “Honolulu,” this name most literally applies to the neighborhoods nearest the city center. Located on the southeastern shore of Oahu, Honolulu is the 12th largest municipal government in the U.S., with a population of approximately 905,000 residents.
As the capital of Hawaii, Honolulu is the largest city in the Hawaiian Islands and the main airport and seaport location. Previously named Kou, Honolulu means “place of shelter,” and evidence shows that the first settlement in the area was as early as the 12th century. According to history, after Kamehameha I conquered Oahu, he moved his court to Waikiki in 1804. In 1809, his court relocated back to what is now downtown Honolulu. Kamehameha III moved the permanent capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom to Honolulu in 1845, and in the years that followed the area was transformed as a modern city and the center of commerce in the islands. The introduction of modern air travel helped bring rapid growth in development and tourism to the city.
One of the area’s darkest historical events occurred in 1900, when the Great Honolulu Chinatown Fire took place, in which fires set to incinerate garbage in response to the bubonic plague raged for 17 days, leaving 7,000 residents homeless.
The city of Honolulu is made up of various districts. Downtown Honolulu is known as the financial, commercial, and governmental center of Hawaii. The tallest building is the 438-foot First Hawaiian Center, located on King and Bishop Streets. The Hawaii Pacific University’s downtown campus is also located there. The Arts District is a 12-block area on the eastern edge of Chinatown, bounded by Bethel & Smith Streets and Nimitz Highway and Beretania Street. It is home to numerous arts and cultural institutions and part of the Chinatown Historic District. The Capitol District is the eastern part of downtown and is the current and historic center of Hawaii’s state government. It incorporates the Hawaii State Capitol, Honolulu Hale (City Hall), Iolani Palace, State Library, and the King Kamehameha I statue.
Downtown Honolulu is also home to various cultural opportunities, such as the Honolulu Symphony, which was established in 1900 and is the oldest U.S. symphony orchestra west of the Rocky Mountains. The Honolulu Academy of Arts has the largest collection of Asian and Western art in Hawaii, as well as the largest collection of Islamic art, in the Shangri La estate. The Hawaii State Art Museum also boasts a collection of traditional Hawaiian art. Other attractions include the Honolulu Zoo, the main zoo on the Hawaiian islands, the Waikiki Aquarium, as well as many botanical gardens. Named the fittest city by Men’s Fitness in 2004, Honolulu is also home to the Honolulu marathon, and the NCAA football Hawaii Bowl and Pro Bowl.
Real estate in the city of Honolulu is diverse, with a wide range of architectural styles to choose from. From luxury high rise condos to modest inland homes to stylish estates, the city offers something for every budget and buyer.
Testimonials
“Team Lally is amazing!! What a great experience dealing with a stressful time in our family’s life! They were easy to talk to and knew everything we needed! I would recommend them to anyone looking to buy OR sell a home in Hawaii!”
“Team Lally is an excellent team! They know their stuff, they are true professionals, and they care about their clients needs before they care about making themselves that extra $$$$. They treat you like family even after the sale of you home!”
“Loved working with them! They completely understood the Military lifestyle and our needs and concerns! They were there to answer every question and help us work out any issues that came up resulting in an Excellent Sales Experience!”
“Adrienne was very in tune to my desires to sell my property. I was losing money on it and even though I didn’t do a short sale, she was very much prepared in advising me of all of my options. We sold the property for what I was hoping to get for it and the process was smooth and as painless as possible. She was always available to answer my questions and I couldn’t have had a more professional team helping me out.”
“When my husband and I got transferred here with the Coast Guard we were interested in purchasing our first home. We found Adrianne through other military members that she had helped. Adrianne and her team went above and beyond to help us find our first home. She took out all the stress and helped us every step of the way, from finding a home to finding a lender to get a loan. We found a short sell and she helped us get into our house and close within a month! Adrianne and her team has made us feel like family the way they take the time to call and check on us throughout the years and through their client appreciation events. Thanks again Adrianne and Team Lally!”
“Team Lally definitely earned our business. They took pictures of our house and gave us a detailed pictorial guide of what we could do to get our house ready for the market. Everything they recommended was doable, concrete, and incredibly helpful. They are consistent, very professional and we’d highly recommend them!”
Sold a Condo home in 2013 in Kapolei, HI.
“Adrienne helped my husband and I purchase our first home and we can’t say enough about how wonderful she is! Being first-time homebuyers, we had a lot of questions and Adrienne was there with us through every step of the way. From beginning to end, her advice and expertise was invaluable and we couldn’t be happier with the results. She absolutely has our recommendation!”
“Adrienne and her team were immediately responsive to my inquiry about their services and very thorough from the beginning. They applied their expertise through the listing, sale and close of my home at a high level of satisfaction for me. The sale of my home closed in just under 3 months. I moved out of state and felt they did an excellent job of communicating with me as an absentee seller.”
“I purchased my home as a single woman nearly 10 years ago in what I call a “big girl moment”. I improved it over the years, and then decided to move home to the mainland to be closer to my family. I was referred to Team Lally, and much differently than other agents I was referred to, they called me immediately, providing a full scope of their services, which is impressive. I liked the fact that they had me meet them in their office, outside the potentially emotional environment of my home. This is business, after all! My home was first shown on June 10 and closed at a handsome price on August 30. Wow. These guys communicate regularly by phone, provide excellent service via email and while closing the sale I experienced the best possible service. Were I to contemplate moving back to Hawaii, Team Lally would be my first call!”