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It is no secret that Hawaii is a popular tourist destination. Though the sugar industry once fueled Hawaii’s economy, today it has given way to tourism as Hawaii’s main source of income, along with the production of crops such as coffee and macadamia nuts.

Waipahu, located in Honolulu County on the island of Oahu, owes its birth, like much of Hawaii, to the sugar industry. Waipahu (its name means “bursting water” due to springs in the area) began as a sugar mill town during the 1800s when workers emigrated from Japan, China, and the Philippines to work on the sugar plantations. Today Waipahu has a population of approximately 33,000.

Now that the Oaho Sugar Company, which once provided work for Waipahu residents, is no longer in operation, jobs can be found in the arts, entertainment, and hospitality industries, as well as education, health, and social services.

The cost of living in Waipahu is above the national average, with a median home value of $635,000. But this is a small price to pay for Hawaii’s mild, sunny climate and beautiful beaches. Waipahu averages 276 days of sunshine per year. The average July high is 87 degrees, and the January low is 62.

For families with children, area public schools include Waipahu High School, Waipahu Intermediate School, and several elementary schools. Higher educational opportunities are available at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the University of Hawaii at Hilo, and Hawaii Pacific University, along with three community colleges.

For recreation, Waipahu has its own golf course, and the main street provides several shopping centers. Plantation Village at Waipahu gives visitors a historical look at the plantation life of immigrant workers.

Popular tourist attractions in the Honolulu area include beautiful Waikiki beach and Diamond Head, an extinct volcano with residential neighborhoods situated along the edge of the crater.