ZIP Code 96740

Kailua-Kona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It is also known as Kailua (a name it shares with a community located on the windward side of Oahu) and as Kona Town. The population was 19,713 at the 2020 census, up from 11,975 at the 2010 census. The community was established by King Kamehameha I to be his seat of government when he was chief of Kona before he consolidated rule of the archipelago in 1795. It was later designated as the capital of the newly unified Kingdom of Hawaii. The town later functioned as a retreat of the Hawaiian royal family. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the region has undergone a real estate and construction boom fueled by tourism and investment. It has a tropical, semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh) with warm temperatures year-round, typical of its latitude in the tropics. The coolest month is February, with an average high temperature of 81.2 °F (27.3 °C), while the warmest is August, with a average high of 86.9 °f (30.5 °C). It is the city with the highest record low in the United States with an all-time low temperature of 56 °F [13 °C]. Humidity is generally between 50% and 70%.

History

The community was established by King Kamehameha I to be his seat of government when he was chief of Kona before he consolidated rule of the archipelago in 1795. It was later designated as the capital of the newly unified Kingdom of Hawaii. The town later functioned as a retreat of the Hawaiian royal family. Up until the late 1900s, Kailua-Kona was primarily a small fishing village.:58 In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the region has undergone a real estate and construction boom fueled by tourism and investment. Royal fishponds at Kaloko-Honokhau National Historical Park were the hub of unified Hawaiian culture. The capital was later moved to Lhain, and then to Honolulu. It is located in the Hawaiian island of Oahu, the largest island in the chain of Polynesian cities, and is located on the island of Kaua'i, which is home to the majority of the island's Hawaiian population. The community was once a fishing village, but has since become a tourist destination. It has a population of more than 2,000 and is now home to a number of tourist attractions, including a national historical park and a nature reserve. The region has been the site of a series of tsunamis in the past few years, including one that claimed the life of a man in the early 20th century. The area has also been the scene of a major construction boom in the last few decades.

Geography

Kailua-Kona is located at 19°390N 155°5939W (19.649973, 155.994028), along the shoreline of Kailua Bay and up the southern slope of Huallai volcano. The town has a tropical, semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh) with warm temperatures year-round, typical of its latitude in the tropics. It is the warmest place in the United States of America in January on average, with an average high temperature of 81.2 °F (27.3 °C) The town is on the leeward side of the Hualalai Volcano, sheltering the town from wind and rain.:58 It is bordered to the north by Kalaoa, to the south by Holualoa, and to the west by the Pacific Ocean from Kailsua Bay in the south to HonokohauBay in the north. There are no major rivers or streams in the town or on the Kona side of Hawaii.:26 According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Town has a total area of 39.9 square miles (103.3 km²), of which 35.6 square miles are land and 4.2 sq miles (11.0 km²) is water. The Kailsaua postal code is 96740 (post office boxes 96745). The town also has a ZIP code of 96744.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,870 people, 3,537 households, and 2,429 families residing in Kailua-Kona. There were 4,322 housing units at an average density of 121.7 per square mile (47.0/km²) The racial makeup of the City was 38.7% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 18.3% Asian, 13.2% Pacific Islander, 1.9% from other races, and 27.07% from two or more races. The median income for a household in the city was $40,874, and the medianincome for a family was $46,657. 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. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.26. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 95.8 males. The. median age was 36 years, and for every 100. females aged 18 and older there are 98.8. Males had a median income of $30,353 versus $26,471 for females. The city has a population density of 278.0 inhabitants per squaremile (107.3/km 2) and a median age of 36.3 years. 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.

Economy

Kailua-Kona saw an economic downturn during the 2008 national financial crisis. Tourism also saw a downturn in the late 2000s but has since seen some resurgence. Visitor air arrivals alone increased about 160% from 2010 to 2017. The University of Hawaii held its first classes at the new Hawaii Community College Palamanui Campus in 2015. Since the early 2000s the Kona side had seen significant amounts of vog from Puu and Klauea, but that changed in May 2018 when Kilauea largely ceased its emissions. The air in Kailua/Kona is clearer than it has been in decades. The city has seen significant growth and economic development in the early 2010s. It has also seen a resurgence in tourism in the last few years. The town has seen a significant growth in the past few years and is expected to see even more in the coming years. It is home to more than 1,000 businesses and more than 2,000 residents. It also has one of the highest rates of home ownership in the state, with more than 80% of residents owning their own homes. The area is also home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, with many of the best views of the Big Island and the Hawaiian archipelago. The island has a population of more than 3,000, with the majority of people living on the island of Oahu and the main island of Kaua'i. The region also has a high percentage of people who live in or near the Hawaiian Islands, with about 1,200 people living in or around the island.

Attractions and events

Kailua-Kona is the host of the annual Ironman World Championship triathlon, the annual Kona Coffee Festival, and the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament. Kona coffee is the variety of Coffea arabica cultivated on the slopes of Huallai and Mauna Loa in the North and South Kona Districts. It has also been given the designation as a Hawaii Scenic Byway called the "Royal Footsteps Along the Kona Coast" This byway features archaeological sites that have survived for hundreds of years. The Kona Historical Society manages two coffee related historical sites: the Kailua Coffee Living History Farm and the H.N. Greenwell Store Museum just south of Kona-Konsa. It is also home to Hawaii's first Christian church built in 1820, Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, and Living Stones Church, a historical structure built after Mokuaikaua and used as a Christian Missionary landing location in the 1800-1900. The city is home to the annual Hawaii International Bill Fish Tournament, which is one of the world's largest and most successful international fishing competitions. It also hosts the annual World Ironman Championship triathlons, which attracts thousands of competitors each year. The town has a number of beaches, including La'aloa Bay (also known as Magic Sands or White Sands Beach), which is a popular snorkeling location, and Kahaluu Bay, where tourists can swim with dolphins and watch whales.

Education

The University of the Nations, a Youth With A Mission training center, is located in Kailua-Kona. The Hawaii Department of Education operates public schools. Kealakehe Elementary School and Kahakai Elementary School are in the Kailsua CDP. Kailsi High School is in the Kailsi CDP, in the north of the island. Kailaua is a suburb of Honolulu, the state capital of Hawaii. The city is home to the Kailuas, a community of about 2,000 people. The Kailulani CDP is the largest in the state, with a population of about 3,000. The town is located on the north shore of the Big Island of Hawaii, near the island of Kaua'i. It is also the site of the largest community center in Hawaii, the Kaua’i Community Center, which opened in 2008. The community center is also home to a number of other non-profit organizations, such as the Hawaii Institute for Social Justice, which was founded in the 1970s. The Hawaiian Institution for Social Justice is based in the town of Kailulai, and has offices in Honolulu and the city of Honkulai. It was founded by former Governor Neil Abercrombie in the early 1980s. It has a campus in the center of the town, which is now known as the Kealulai Center.

Notable residents

Bret Bollinger, singer and bass guitarist in the band Pepper. B.K. Cannon, actress. Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell Technologies. Sandra Kurtzig, technology entrepreneur. Arthur V. Loughren, pioneer in the development of NTSC television. John Paul Thomas, artist. Brian Keith Adams, wrestler. The city's population was 1.2 million at the end of the 2011 Census. It is expected to reach 1.3 million at its peak in the 2014 Census, when it will have a population of 1.4 million. It will be the largest U.S. city in terms of population in the history of the state. It has been the largest city in the state since it was founded in 1881. It was the largest state in the United States at the time of the census's completion in 1891. It had been the second-largest city after New York City in the 1970s. It now has a population in excess of 1 million. The town's population has grown to 1.5 million. it is the largest town in the State of New York in the past decade. It also has the largest population in New York state since the early 1980s. it has had a population growth rate of about 1.6 percent since the beginning of the decade. it had the highest population growth rates in the 1990s, at 1.7 percent. it was the third-largest state in that year. it also had the most population growth in the early 2000s.