So many locals came to call this island home for a good reason. In the early 1790s, a British sea merchant sailed into Honolulu Harbor and found the deepest, most sheltered port in the Pacific. His discovery changed Oahu’s future forever. Honolulu started emerging as Hawaii’s key shipping hub, the significance of which King Kamehameha I realized. After he successfully unified the islands, the fierce king moved his court from the Big Island to Waikiki in 1804 to be near this growingly important port. His presence raised the island’s stature and led the way for Oahu to establish itself as Hawaii’s commercial center and thus become it’s most populated isle.

Honolulu remains the island’s business capital (and state capital) and home to most Oahu residents. More than 800,000 of them live on the South Shore, in sprawling neighborhoods in and around the city.

Visitors tend to congregate here, too. Nearly 5 million tourists crowd into bustling Waikiki every year and check into the many hotels that front the shoreline. They sun and swim on the world-famous beaches, dine in restaurants that range from gritty to great, party at lively nightclubs, go on buying sprees at an endless number of shops, and still leave plenty of time for some A-plus sightseeing. After all, who would come to Hawaii and not see Pearl Harbor and Diamond Head, two of Honolulu’s biggest attractions? And they’re just two of the area’s many must-sees. Others include Iolani Palace, the home of Queen Liliuokalani until the monarchy fell in 1893; the state capitol building; and Kawaihao Church, built in the 1830s and called the Westminster Abbey of Hawaii.

Away from the big city, much of Oahu is quite rural, unspoiled, and strikingly beautiful. Many sleepy little towns and villages considered “out in the country” sit between the ocean and two mountain ranges—Koolau and Waianae—formed by volcano eruptions nearly 4 million years ago. The mountains and their lush forests run parallel to one another down the eastern and western coasts and entice with scenic hiking trails and other outdoor fun.

Venturing away from Waikiki doesn’t mean giving up the beach scene. Quite the contrary, the North Shore is known around the globe for its many world-class surfing beaches, such as Banzai Pipeline and Sunset. Their giant breakers pound the shore in winter, but then the water turns calm in summer, making the beaches ideal for families. On the Windward Coast, many locals consider Kailua Beach the island’s best stretch of sand. Its strong gusts make it a haven for windsurfers and kitesurfers, in particular. Just up the road in Kanehoe is one of Hawaii’s most gorgeous bays, where boating companies offer trips out to a sandbar for swimming and snorkeling. Farther north, several more secluded beaches add beauty to the coastline.