Kaneohe Map
Kaneohe is a census-designated place (CDP) included in the City and County of Honolulu and located in Hawai'i state District of Ko'olaupoko on the Island of Oahu. In the Hawaiian language, kan'eohe means "bamboo man". According to an ancient Hawaiian story a local woman compared her husband's cruelty to the sharp edge of cutting bamboo; thus the place was named Kaneohe or "Bamboo man". The population was 34,970 at the 2000 census. Kaneohe is the largest of several communities along Kane'ohe Bay and one of the two largest residential communities on the windward side of O'ahu (the other is Kailua). The commercial center of the town is spread mostly along Kamehameha Highway.
From ancient times, Kane'ohe was important as an agricultural area, owing to an abundance of rainfall. Today, Kane'ohe is mostly a residential community, with very little agriculture in evidence. The only commercial crop of any consequence in the area is banana.
Features of note are Ho?omaluhia Botanical Garden and the new Hawai'i National Veterans Cemetery. Access to Kane'ohe Bay is mainly from the public pier and boat ramp located at nearby He'eia Kea. Access to Coconut Island (restricted) is from the state pier off Lilipuna Road. Marine Corps Base Hawaii lies across the south end of Kane'ohe Bay from the central part of K?ne?ohe, although the town stretches along Kane'ohe Bay Drive to the base perimeter.
Nearby cities include Pearl City, Waipahu, Hauula, Ewa Beach, Wahiawa.