Hilo, Hawaii

The coastal town of Hilo is the largest settlement on the island of Hawaii and overlooks Hilo Bay. Mauna Loa, considered an active volcano, and Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano, are located nearby. Hilo is home to the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation, one of the world's leading producers of macadamia nuts. Hilo’s location on the eastern side of the island makes it the wettest city in the United States and one of the wettest cities in the world with an average yearly rainfall of 127.77 inches (3245 mm). Some areas of Hilo have been known to receive more than 200 inches of rainfall! Remains of the city’s ancient past are scarce, and except for the oral traditions – not much is known of the area until the early 1800’s when missionaries came to the district, founding several churches. Hilo’s expansion was a direct result of sugar plantations which drew a large Asian population. Because of its location, Hilo is particularly vulnerable to tsunamis. On April 1, 1946, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake near the Aleutian Islands created a huge tsunami that hit Hilo hours later, killing 160 people. As a result, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center was established to track these killer waves and provide ample warning. On May 23, 1960, another tsunami, caused by a 9.5 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Chile, claimed 61 lives allegedly due to people's failure to heed the warning sirens issued by the Center. Downtown Hilo became the city’s cultural center in the 1980s with galleries, museums, cinemas and tourist shopping catering to the ever-increasing visitors from the US mainland and Asia. When the sugar plantations closed in the 1990s, Hilo’s economy slumped severely, but economic growth has seen a recent incline.