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) is a census-designated place (CDP) and the county seat of Kauai County, Hawaii. Lihue (Hawaiian
, literally "cold chill") is the second largest town on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. As of the 2000 Census, the CDP had a total population of 5,674 .
Lihue is served by the Lihue Airport, located in the CDP. The main seaport for Kauai is at Nawiliwili Bay, directly southeast of town.
The town is home to the county administration building; Kauai's largest shopping center, Kukui Grove Center, which houses the island's only big department store, Macy's; and several big-box stores including K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Costco. There are also several car dealerships and restaurants. Most of the island's traffic lights can be found here.
However, Lihue does not have a monopoly on island commerce. There is a cluster of several shopping centers to the north in Kapaa.
In ancient times, Lihue was a minor village. The translation,
, refers to the cold winds that blew across the land. The ancient name of the area was Ka-la-i-a-mea, meaning calm reddish brown place. Lihue is located in the ancient district of Puna. With the emergence of the sugar industry in the 1800s, Lihue became the central city of the island with the construction of a large sugar mill. Many Germans emigrated to Lihue, even building in 1881 the first Lutheran church in Hawaii that stands to this day. Services were delivered in German well into the 1960s. By the 1930s, George Wilcox had become one of the largest sugar plantation owners. The Wilcox family home, Kilohana, has been converted into a restaurant and gift shop. The surrounding plantation is still active, growing a number of crops and livestock. A recently installed narrow gauge tourist railroad with vintage diesel locomotives from Whitworth and General Electric offers tours of the plantation; horse-drawn carriage tours are offered as well. The grounds are also the site of luaus, many of which are offshore excursions booked through NCL America. Lihue also houses the Kauai Museum, which details the rich history of Kauai.