Hawaii is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about 2,000 miles from the U.S. mainland. It is the only state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state in the tropics. Hawaii is also one of four U.S. states that were once independent nations along with Vermont, Texas and California.
Hawaii is among the country’s most diverse states, owing to its central location in the Pacific and over two centuries of migration. As one of only six majority-minority states, it has the nation’s only Asian American plurality, its largest Buddhist community, and the largest proportion of multiracial people. Consequently, it is a unique melting pot of North American and East Asian cultures, in addition to its indigenous Hawaiian heritage.
Historically dominated by a plantation economy, Hawaii remains a major agricultural exporter due to its fertile soil and uniquely tropical climate in the U.S. Its economy has gradually diversified since the mid-20th century, with tourism and military defense becoming the two largest sectors. The state attracts tourists, surfers, and scientists from around the world with its diverse natural scenery, warm tropical climate, abundance of public beaches, oceanic surroundings, active volcanoes, and clear skies on the Big Island.
Although its relative isolation results in one of the nation’s highest costs of living, Hawaii is the third-wealthiest state. These amazing photos from jcator that show what Hawaii looked like in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
 |
| At the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii. Outrigger Canoe Club (center left); Moana Hotel (on the right) |
|
| “Hawaii Calls” radio show being performed on stage at the Banyan Court of the Moana Hotel, Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii |
 |
| Ala Wai Boulevard next to Ala Wai Canal, Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii |
|
| Dillingham Transportation Building on Bishop Street (left), downtown Honolulu, Hawaii |
|
| Fort Ruger on the slopes of Diamond Head (foreground); Leahi Hospital in right distance |
 |
| Giant cross at Schofield Barracks, Oahu; since removed |
 |
| Hawaiian woman selling lei with Aloha Tower in the background, Honolulu Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii |
 |
| Hawaiian woman with flower lei |
 |
| Hawaiian woman |
 |
| Hickam Field, Oahu, Hawaii |
 |
| Honolulu, Hawaii |
 |
| Honolulu, Hawaii |
 |
| Honolulu, Hawaii |
 |
| Honolulu, Hawaii |
 |
| Honolulu, Hawaii |
 |
| Honolulu, Hawaii |
 |
| Honolulu, Hawaii |
 |
| Honolulu, Hawaii |
 |
| Irrigation ditch in sugar cane field, Hawaii |
 |
| Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station, Oahu, Hawaii |
 |
| King Street in downtown Honolulu with the wall / fence of Iolani Palace on the left |
 |
| Koolau Mountains seen across Kaneohe Bay from the Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station on Mokapu Peninsula, Oahu, Hawaii |
 |
| Lei sellers in parked cars along Lagoon Drive near Honolulu Airport |
 |
| Mountain range in Hawaii |
 |
| National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl Crater in Honolulu |
 |
| Navy, Hawaii |
 |
| Navy, Hawaii |
 |
| Navy, Hawaii |
 |
| Navy, Hawaii |
 |
| Planting pineapple crowns, central Oahu, Hawaii |
 |
| Planting rice, Hawaii |
 |
| Preparing field for planting pineapples, central Oahu, Hawaii |
 |
| Runway at Hickam Field, Oahu, Hawaii |
 |
| Somewhere in Hawaii |
 |
| Somewhere in Hawaii |
 |
| Somewhere in Hawaii |
 |
| Somewhere in Hawaii |
 |
| Somewhere in Hawaii |
 |
| The coastline of Oahu around the Blowhole |
 |
| The saltwater swimming pool at the Kona Inn, Hawaii island |
 |
| Upside-Down Falls in Nuuanu Valley, Oahu, Hawaii |
 |
| View from Nuuanu Pali Lookout towards Kailua, Oahu |
 |
| View from Tripler Hospital (foreground) |
 |
| Women at the beach, Hawaii |
 |
| World War II memorial at Punchbowl Street (background) and King Street, Honolulu, Hawaii |
