Typically Kahului is not considered a tourist destination. It does feature the Alexander and Baldwin Sugar Museum, Kanaha Pond State Wildlife Sanctuary, Kanaha Beach County Park, and the Maui Arts and Cultural Center.
However, Kahului is the major retail center for Maui residents and there are several malls and major stores (including department stores in the Kaahumanu Center); other significant groupings of stores are in Lahaina and the Happy Valley area of Wailuku. Retailing changed greatly with the arrival of big-box retailers from the U.S. Mainland who squeezed out many of the traditional (often family-owned) firms. Recent arrivals have included Walmart and Home Depot. Whilst the newcomers do offer a wider product range and lower prices, many Maui locals view with sadness the demise of long-established stores such as Suda's in North Kihei and O'oka's in Wailuku.
Kahului is served by Kahului Airport.
Geography
Kahului is located at 20°52'54" North, 156°28'3" West (20.881756, -156.467446)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 42.3 km² (16.3 mi²). 39.3 km² (15.2 mi²) of it is land and 3.0 km² (1.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 7.16% water.
Demographics
As of the 2000 Census, there were 20,146 people, 5,880 households, and 4,421 families residing in the town. The population density was 513.1/km² (1,328.7/mi²). There were 6,079 housing units at an average density of 154.8/km² (400.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 10.06% White, 0.24% African American, 0.27% Native American, 53.62% Asian, 9.91% Pacific Islander, 1.47% from other races, and 24.42% from two or more races. 8.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 5,880 households out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% are non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.29 and the average family size is 3.76.
In the town the population is spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 95.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $46,656, and the median income for a family is $52,610. Males have a median income of $30,659 versus $26,282 for females. The per capita income for the town is $18,049. 11.8% of the population and 9.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 14.8% are under the age of 18 and 11.6% are 65 or older.