Mililani () is a city located near the center of the island of
Oahu
Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...
in
Honolulu County, Hawaiʻi, United States. It consists of two
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
s, Mililani Town, with a population of 28,121 at the
2020 census,
and
Mililani Mauka, with a 2020 census population of 21,075.
History
Mililani sits on former plantation fields owned by
Castle & Cooke
Castle & Cooke, Inc., is a Los Angeles-based company that was once part of the Big Five companies in territorial Hawaii. The company at one time did most of its business in agriculture, including becoming, through mergers with the modern Dole F ...
, which began planning for its development in 1958 under its Oceanic Properties subsidiary. Castle & Cooke's plan was to collaborate with planners and architects on making Mililani Town a satellite city that would satisfy Oʻahu's pent-up demand for housing with a new affordable community. It was planned to eventually support a population of 75,000 people. Architect and developer
Al Boeke
Alfred Anton Boeke (November 20, 1922 – November 8, 2011) was an American architect and developer. Boeke created and developed Sea Ranch, California, a 10-mile-long planned coastal community of 1,700 homes in Sonoma County, California. Boeke ad ...
, who would later create the planned community of
Sea Ranch, California
Sea Ranch is an unincorporated community in Sonoma County, California, United States that was developed as planned community beginning in the 1960s. It is known for its distinctive timber-frame structures designed by several noted American arch ...
, was the development director of Mililani.
The first homes in Mililani went on sale on June 23, 1968.
In 1976,
Interstate H-2
Interstate H-2 (H-2, named the Veterans Memorial Freeway) is an intrastate Interstate Highway located on the island of O‘ahu in the U.S. state of Hawai‘i. The north–south freeway connects H-1 in Pearl City to Mililani and Wahiawā, whe ...
opened for Mililani, cutting travel time from Mililani to Honolulu in half. In 1986, Mililani was named an
All-America City
The All-America City Award is a community recognition program in the United States given by the National Civic League. The award recognizes the work of communities in using inclusive civic engagement to address critical issues and create stronge ...
in recognition of a community effort to clean up drinking water contaminated with agricultural pesticides. It is the only community in Hawaiʻi ever to receive this distinction.
On April 6, 1990, ground was broken for Mililani Mauka, a newer and more upscale community east of the Interstate H-2. The first homeowners moved into Mauka in 1992.
In 2003, Mililani was designated as the pilot site for the City and County of Honolulu's curbside recycling program. In 2005, ''Money'' magazine named Mililani as one of the best places to live in the U.S. In 2006, Mililani ʻIke Elementary School first grade teacher Phyllis Nakama-Kawamoto was named Hawaiʻi's American Star of Teaching by the U.S. Department of Education.
Description
Mililani is the third wealthiest zip code (96789) in the state of Hawaiʻi, according to the 2006 ranking by Pacific Business News. Although it is largely a
bedroom community
A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
for
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
, Mililani has its own commercial shopping centers, schools (such as
Mililani High School
Mililani High School is the only public high school located in Mililani Town CDP,2000 Map: - Compare to addresses of schools. City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. on the island of Oahu.
Serving an enrollment of over 2,600 students in grade ...
), parks, community centers, and a golf course. Mililani homeowners must pay dues to the Mililani Town Association, which enforces covenants and design standards, and provides recreational facilities including several pools.
The Mililani Golf Club is a par-72, 6,455-yard course that is open to the public. The Mililani Technology Park is a nearby campus-like park that is zoned for high-tech industries.
The older portion of Mililani to the west of Interstate H-2 is known as Mililani Town. The newer portion of Mililani to the east of Interstate H-2 is known as
Mililani Mauka. Almost all of Mililani's commercial and retail centers are in Mililani Town. A third region of Mililani is Launani Valley, a secluded, master planned development located below Mililani Tech Park on Wikao Street. The area was developed by Towne and contains a blend of townhome and single family units.
Geography
Mililani Town is located at ,
near the center of
Oahu
Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...
Island, on the plateau or "central valley" between the two volcanic mountains that comprise the island. It is in the Central District and the
City & County of Honolulu
Honolulu County (officially known as the City and County of Honolulu, formerly Oahu County) is a consolidated city–county in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The city–county includes both the city of Honolulu (the state's capital and largest city ...
. The town is somewhat physically confined between the two large central Oahu gulches of Waikele and Kīpapa.
Travelling north on either
Kamehameha Highway
Kamehameha Highway is one of the main highways serving suburban and rural O‘ahu in the U.S. state of Hawai‘i. Informally known as Kam Highway, it begins at Nimitz Highway near Pearl Harbor and Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, serves the is ...
(State Rte. 99) or
Interstate H-2
Interstate H-2 (H-2, named the Veterans Memorial Freeway) is an intrastate Interstate Highway located on the island of O‘ahu in the U.S. state of Hawai‘i. The north–south freeway connects H-1 in Pearl City to Mililani and Wahiawā, whe ...
connects the traveller with
Wahiawā. Travelling south on either of these arteries connects to
Waipio
Waipio () is a census-designated place (CDP) located in the Ewa District of the island of Oahu in the City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. In Hawaiian, ''wai pio'' means "curved water". As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a populat ...
.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the Mililani Town CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.07%, is water.
The U.S.
postal code
A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, included in a postal a ...
for Mililani is 96789.
Demographics
As of the census of 2020, there were 28,121 people, 8,934 households, and 3.07 people per household. The population density was 7,014.5 people per square mile. There were 9,272 housing units and the owner-occupied housing unit rate was 79.7%. The racial makeup of the CDP was 48.1% Asian, 14.0% White, 2.4% African American, 4.6% Pacific Islander, and 10.9% were Hispanic or Latino. 30.0% were two or more races.
There were 9,010 households, out of which 43.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.4% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.6% were non-families. 10.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.17 and the average family size was 3.41.
In the CDP, the population was 25.5% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $73,067, and the median income for a family was $76,338. Males had a median income of $47,051 versus $31,976 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the CDP was $24,427. About 2.5% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 1.6% of those age 65 or over.
Government and infrastructure
The
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...
operates the Mililani Post Office.
In 2017, the state approved
NRG Energy, Inc.
NRG Energy, Inc. is an American energy company, headquartered in Houston, Texas. It was formerly the wholesale arm of Northern States Power Company (NSP), which became Xcel Energy, but became independent in 2000. NRG Energy is involved in energ ...
to build a 14.7 megawatt solar farm project near Mililani called Lanikuhana Solar.
Hawaiian Electric Companies (HECO) will buy electricity from this solar farm at 11.4 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for 22 years.
On September 10, 2019, the 14.7 megawatt Mililani Solar II developed by Clearway Energy Group began its operation alongside the Mililani Agricultural Park. Originally started by the developer
SunEdison
SunEdison, Inc. (formerly MEMC Electronic Materials) is a renewable energy company headquartered in the U.S. In addition to developing, building, owning, and operating solar power plants and wind energy plants, it also manufactures high purity po ...
, Hawaiian Electric broke its ties to the firm in February 2016 before SunEdison's bankruptcy proceedings. San Francisco-based Clearway's predecessor the NRG Energy's Community Solar division, took over the project at the end of November 2016.
On January 22, 2019, the Clearway Energy Group obtained NRG Community Solar's assets.
In March 2019, the Public Utilities Commission approved Clearway Energy Group to build a 39 megawatt
solar farm
Solar may refer to:
Astronomy
* Of or relating to the Sun
** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun
** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels")
** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...
with a 39 MW / 156 megawatt-hour battery storage project near Mililani called Mililani Solar I. HECO will buy electricity from this solar-plus-storage project at 9 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
The Mililani Solar I project was completed by Clearway in 2022.
[
]
Education
Public schools in Mililani are operated by the Hawaiʻi Department of Education.
2000 Map: - Compare to addresses of schools.
Elementary schools in the CDP include Kīpapa, Mililani Uka, and Mililani Waena. Mililani High School
Mililani High School is the only public high school located in Mililani Town CDP,2000 Map: - Compare to addresses of schools. City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. on the island of Oahu.
Serving an enrollment of over 2,600 students in grade ...
is located inside the CDP.
Hanalani Schools
Hanalani Schools is a private Christian school founded in 1952 and located in Mililani,2000 Map: - Compare to addresses of schools. on the island of Oahu, that offers classes for students in preschool through high school.
Hanalani is fully accr ...
is a private school located in Mililani.[ It has over 600 students spanning pre-K through 12th grade as of 2022.
The following schools have Mililani postal addresses but are in the Mililani Mauka CDP:][ - Compare this to locations of schools and universities.] Mililani Mauka Elementary School, Mililani Ike Elementary School, and Mililani Middle School.Home
Mililani Middle School website, retrieved on April 9, 2018. "95-1140 LEHIWA DRIVE , MILILANI, HI 96789"
Notable people
*JoAnne S. Bass
JoAnne S. Bass () is a senior noncommissioned officer in the United States Air Force and the nineteenth Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. She became the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, and the first female to hold the highest senior ...
, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, first female top enlisted person of any American military service
*McKenzie Milton
McKenzie Milton (born October 10, 1997) is a former American football quarterback who previously played for the Florida State Seminoles of the Atlantic Coast Conference and the University of Central Florida (UCF) of the American Athletic Confere ...
, former college football quarterback
*Dillon Gabriel
Dillon Gabriel (born December 28, 2000) is an American football quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners. Gabriel attended and played high school football at Mililani High School in Mililani, Hawaii and began his college career at UCF in 2019 before ...
, current college football quarterback
* Margaret Denise Quigley, American actress, activist, and model
*Maa Tanuvasa
Maa Junior Tanuvasa (born November 6, 1970) is a former American football defensive end, mainly for the Denver Broncos. He played nine years in the National Football League, winning two Super Bowl championships as a main component of the Bronco ...
, former American football defensive end, two time Super Bowl champion for Denver Broncos
*Tasya van Ree
Tasya van Ree (born April 30, 1976) is an American painter and photographer. She is noted for her work in photography and for her multifaceted interests in mixed media and visual presentation, particularly in fashion and its relation to identity, ...
, painter and photographer
References
External links
Mililani Town Association
{{Authority control
Planned cities in the United States
Populated places established in 1968
Populated places on Oahu
1968 establishments in Hawaii