Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i

Kailua-Kona is a census-designated place located in Hawaiʻi County, Hawaiʻi, in the North Kona District of the Island of Hawaiʻi. It is the center of commerce and of the tourist industry on West Hawaiʻi. It is famous in the sports world as the site of the Hawaiʻi Ironman Triathlon. The town's post office is designated Kailua-Kona to differentiate it from the larger, Kailua located on windward Oʻahu, although it is referred to as "Kona" in everyday speech. Many place names in the Hawaiian Islands are repeated on several islands, but the two Kailuas are the only confusing conflict in this regard. The city is served by Kona International Airport. Kailua-Kona was the closest major settlement to the epicenter of the 2006 Hawaiʻi Earthquake.

History

Kailua-Kona was established by King Kamehameha I to be his seat of government (he originally was the chief of Kona, before unifying more and more of the archipelago under his rule), and the capital of the newly unified Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. (The capital was later moved to Lāhainā, then, to Honolulu.) Royal fishponds at Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park were the hub of unified Hawaiian culture. More recently, this region has undergone a real-estate and construction boom fueled by tourism and investment.

Geography

Kailua-Kona is located at 19°38'60" North, 155°59'39" West (19.649973, -155.994028)^GR1, along the shoreline of Kailua Bay and up the southern slope of Hualālai volcano.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 103.0 km² (39.8 mi²). 91.9 km² (35.5 mi²) of it is land and 11.0 km² (4.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 10.71% water.

The Kailua-Kona postal code is 96740. Other communities located in this zip code include: Kalaoa, Kealakehe, Kahaluʻu, and Keauhou.

Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 9,870 people, 3,537 households, and 2,429 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 107.3/km² (278.0/mi²). There were 4,322 housing units at an average density of 47.0/km² (121.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 38.65% White, 0.46% Black or African American, 0.46% Native American, 18.28% Asian, 13.16% Pacific Islander, 1.93% from other races, and 27.07% from two or more races. 10.20% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,537 households out of which 35.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $40,874, and the median income for a family was $46,657. Males had a median income of $30,353 versus $26,471 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $20,624. 10.8% of the population and 6.5% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 11.9% of those under the age of 18 and 3.9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Points of interest

• Sadie Seymour Botanical Gardens
• Huliheʻe Palace
• Hawaiʻi's first Christian church
• Kona Brewing Company, a microbrewery in town
• Kona Hawaii Temple, Hawaii's 2nd Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)

Wikipedia information about Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i". It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). Help contribute to Americola and edit this article.