Biohazard Cleanup Near Waiākea Hilo, HI

Hilo is a census-designated place and the county seat of Hawaiʻi County on the island of Hawaiʻi, and the largest settlement in the state outside Oʻahu.

The 2020 census counted 44,186 residents in the CDP, in 16,132 households, making Hilo the fourth-largest settlement in the state of Hawaiʻi.

The CDP covers 58.3 square miles, of which 53.4 square miles are land and 4.9 square miles are water, overlooking Hilo Bay with views of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.

The first inhabitants arrived around 1100 AD, and the name Hilo means "to twist" in Hawaiian; missionaries founded Haili Church in the district in the early-to-middle 19th century.

Hilo grew as sugar plantations drew workers from Asia, and the Hilo Sugar Mill produced 3,500 tons of sugar a year by 1887.

The Hilo bayfront was destroyed by tsunamis twice: on April 1, 1946, a tsunami killed 96 people in Hilo, and on May 22, 1960, another killed 61 people; the 1946 disaster led to the creation of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in 1949.

Hilo has a tropical rainforest climate and is the fourth-wettest city in the United States, with about 126.72 inches of rain a year at Hilo International Airport between 1981 and 2010, and rain on 272 days of the year.

Hilo is home to the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, the ʻImiloa Astronomy Center, and Hawaiʻi Community College.

The Merrie Monarch Festival, a week-long celebration of ancient and modern hula held annually after Easter, takes place in Hilo.

Hilo is served by Hilo International Airport and by Hilo Harbor, the Big Island's largest harbor, and the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation is based here.