Salt Lake

The residential area of Salt Lake is comprised of high- and mid-rise condominiums, townhomes and single-family homes that were built during the construction boom of the 1960s. The suburban area is alternately referred to as Aliamanu because of its close proximity to a nearby crater that shares the name. The name “Salt Lake” is derived from the crater the area actually resides in—Alia Pa’akai, or “salt pond.”

Salt Lake is a green neighborhood community with ample access to parks, despite the many urbanized dwellings in the area. Salt Lake District Park, the largest in the neighborhood, has various hiking trails that lead up and around the Aliamanu and Alia Pa’akai craters. The park also houses basketball and tennis courts, playing fields, a gymnasium and a 50-meter swimming pool. Salt Lake Municipal Park hosts the People’s Market on Saturday mornings, a venue that gives residents the opportunity to purchase agricultural and aquaculture products directly from local businesses.

The Salt Lake Shopping Center is the centralized commercial venue of the district. There are large chain stores like Safeway, Longs Drugs and McDonalds, as well as a slew of smaller, locally-based eateries and service stores. Salt Lake is also home to one of the most acclaimed public schools on Oahu, Moanalua High School. MHS opened in 1972 to meet the growing educational needs of the Salt Lake community, and has gained reputation for its academic excellence over the years—even being dubbed by the Honolulu Star Advertiser as “the private school of public schools.” Aliamanu Elementary and Middle Schools feed into Moanalua High.