Wailuku is located just west of Kahului, at the mouth of the Iao Valley. In the early 20th century Wailuku was the main tourist destination on Maui, though it has since been eclipsed with the rise of the resort towns such as Ka'anapali, so much that there are no hotels to speak of in Wailuku. It is, however, a pleasant community that tourists may wish to visit on a day trip.
Worth seeing are the Ka'ahumanu Church which dates to 1876, and the Bailey House, also a 19th century relic that is home to a history museum. There are also many small shops.
There are two ancient temples near Wailuku, called heiaus - the Haleki'i Heiau and the Pihanakalani Heiau. Both date back hundreds of years, and were used for human sacrifices by the native Hawaiians.
Geography
Wailuku is located at 20°53'31" North, 156°30'8" West (20.891923, -156.502177)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 14.1 km² (5.4 mi²). 13.1 km² (5.1 mi²) of it is land and 1.0 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 6.80% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 12,296 people, 4,535 households, and 3,015 families residing in the town. The population density is 936.4/km² (2,427.4/mi²). There are 4,780 housing units at an average density of 364.0/km² (943.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 18.16% White, 0.24% African American, 0.36% Native American, 42.08% Asian, 11.70% Pacific Islander, 1.18% from other races, and 26.28% from two or more races. 7.75% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 4,535 households out of which 29.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% are married couples living together, 12.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% are non-families. 25.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.71 and the average family size is 3.28.
In the town the population is spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 99.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 97.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $45,587, and the median income for a family is $51,441. Males have a median income of $33,429 versus $26,487 for females. The per capita income for the town is $20,503. 11.2% of the population and 8.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 14.7% are under the age of 18 and 3.8% are 65 or older.