Nānākuli () is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 counte ...

(CDP) on the west coast of the island of

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

City and 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, one of five counties in the state. The city-county includes both Urban Honolulu ( ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. In Hawaiian, ''nānā kuli'' means literally "look at knee". The population was 11,461 at the 2020 census.

Geography

Nānākuli is away from

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

, and is located near the southern end of the Waiʻanae mountain. It is accessible from

Farrington Highway Farrington Highway is a major highway through the western part of Oahu, O‘ahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Starting from Kamehameha Highway north of Pearl Harbor, it heads west along the island's southwestern and western coast; another part o ...

, though most residents live in the valley. A popular park, Nānākuli Beach Park, is nearby.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, there were 11,461 people, a 2.39% decrease from the 12,666 people living in Nānākuli in the 2010 census. The

median age A population pyramid (age structure diagram) or "age-sex pyramid" is a graphical illustration of the distribution of a population (typically that of a country or region of the world) by age groups and sex; it typically takes the shape of a pyramid ...

was 31.5, the

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $75,031, the median property value was $370,600, the average car ownership was 2 cars per household, and the

poverty rate Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse

was 15.3%. The 3 largest ethnic groups were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (Non-Hispanic), Multiracial (Non-Hispanic), and Multiracial (Hispanic).

Native Hawaiian Community in Nānakuli

Nānākuli is home to one of the oldest Hawaiian Home Land Divisions established through the Native Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1921, promoted by Prince

Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole (March 26, 1871 – January 7, 1922) was a prince of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi until it was overthrown by a coalition of American and European businessmen in 1893. He later went on to become the delegate of the Territo ...

.A BROKEN TRUST, The Hawaiian Homelands Program, Hawaii Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights The presence of DHHL (Department of Hawaiian Home Lands) has heavily influenced the Nānākuli community. Uniquely in the state of

Hawaiʻi Hawaii ( ; ) is an island state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only state not on the North American mainland, th ...

and for the last 50 years, three Nānākuli public schools have campuses located on Hawaiian Home Lands. These are Nānākuli High and Intermediate, Nānā I Ka Pono, and Nānākuli Elementary. Within the last two decades,

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

based learning has been offered for students of the valley; at Nānākuli Elementary, kids can join a

Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a critically endangered Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family, originating in and native to the Hawaiian Islands. It is the native language of the Hawaiian people. Hawaiian, along with English, is an offi ...

immersion program (Kula Kai O Puni). Aside from the

Department Of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

, there also exists "Ka Waihona O Ka Naʻauao Hawaiian Public Charter School". In recent years, the neighborhood board acknowledged the long-standing history of the valley and DHHL by renaming Nānākuli Beach Park after Kalaniʻanaole. Some other Native Hawaiian organizations that have reached out to this community are the Liliʻuokalani Trust (Formerly known as the Queen Liʻliʻuokalani Children's Center, The Office Of Hawaiian Affairs, and

Kamehameha Schools Kamehameha Schools, formerly called Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate (KSBE), is a private school system in Hawaii established by the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate, under the terms of the will of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, who was a formal membe ...

). Only 3,970 reported residents identify with having some sort of Hawaiian ancestry out of the approximate population of 12,000. In April 2021, Kamehameha Schools opened the Kalanihookaha Community Learning Center in Nānākuli.

Education

The

Hawaii Department of Education The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE, ) is a statewide public education system in the United States. The school district can be thought of as analogous to the school districts of other cities and communities in the United States, ...

operates the public schools. Two elementary schools, Nanaikapono and Nanakuli, and the Nanakuli High & Intermediate School are in the CDP.

Notable residents

* Konishiki Yasokichi *

Jason Momoa Joseph Jason Namakaeha Momoa (; born August 1, 1979) is an American actor. He made his acting debut as Jason Ioane on the syndicated action drama series '' Baywatch: Hawaii'' (1999–2001), which was followed by portrayals of Ronon Dex on the ...

* Radasha Ho'ohuli,

Miss Hawaii USA The Miss Hawaii USA competition, previously known as Miss Hawaii Universe, is a beauty pageant that selects the representative for the state of Hawaii in the Miss USA pageant. Issha Rose Mata of Hilo was crowned Miss Hawaii USA 2025 on March 2 ...

2006 *

Raymond Kane Raymond is a male given name of Germanic origin. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷ� ...

Mark Tuinei Mark Pulemau Tuinei (March 31, 1960 – May 6, 1999) was an American professional football player who was an offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Hawaii Rainbow Warri ...

(1960–1999), former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

player * MDMP, a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band formed in 2017 by Nanakuli musician and producer Jeremey Meyer.https://www.reverbnation.com/mdmpmusic

References

External links

Department of Hawaiian Home Lands
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nanakuli Census-designated places in Honolulu County, Hawaii Populated places on Oahu Populated coastal places in Hawaii