Hawaii County, Hawaii

Hawaii County, Hawaii
Seal
Location in the state of Hawaii
Hawaii's location in the U.S.
Founded	1905
Seat	Hilo
Largest city	Hilo
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	5,086.70 sq mi (13,174 km²) 4,028.02 sq mi (10,433 km²) 1,058.69 sq mi (2,742 km²), ?%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	185,079 46/sq mi (17.7/km²)
Congressional district	2nd
Time zone	Hawaii-Aleutian: UTC-10
Website	co.hawaii.hi.us

Hawaiʻi County is a county located in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Hawaiian Islands. It is coterminous with the Island of Hawaiʻi, often called the "Big Island" to distinguish it from the state as a whole. As of the 2010 Census the population was 185,079. The county seat is Hilo. There are no incorporated cities in Hawaiʻi County (see Hawaii Counties). The Hilo Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Hawaiʻi County. Hawaiʻi County has a mayor-council form of government.

Hawaii County is one of seven US counties to share its name with its state (the others are Arkansas County, Idaho County, Iowa County, New York County, Oklahoma County, and Utah County).

Geography

Hawaiʻi County has a total area of 5,086.70 square miles (13,174.5 km²); 4,028.02 square miles (10,432.5 km²) is land and 1,058.69 square miles (2,742.0 km²) is water (mostly all off the ocean shoreline but counted in the total area by the U.S. Census Bureau). The county's land area comprises 62.7 percent of the state's land area. It is the highest percentage by any county in the United States. (Delaware's Sussex County comes in second at 48.0 percent, while Rhode Island's Providence County is third at 39.55 percent.)

Adjacent counties

• Maui County - northwest

Government and infrastructure

County government

Executive authority is vested in the Mayor of Hawaii County who is elected for a four-year term. Since 2004, the election by the voters has been on a non-partisan basis. In 2008, William "Billy" Kenoi was elected Mayor, succeeding Harry Kim who had served a two-term limit. Legislative authority is vested in a nine-member County Council. Each member represents a geographical region of the island, which closely correlates to one of the nine tax map districts of Hawaiʻi County. Members of the County Council are elected on a non-partisan basis to two-year terms, with the latest election occurring in November of 2010.

Administrative districts were originally based on the traditional land divisions called Moku of Ancient Hawaii. Some of the more heavily populated districts have since been split into North and South districts to make them more comparable on a population basis.

The number following each district is the Tax Map Key (TMK) number, used to locate state property information. They are assigned in a counter-clockwise order beginning on the eastern side of the island.

Nr.	District	Area mi²	Population 2000	moku	District subdivision of Hawaii County
1	Puna	499.45	31335	Puna
2	South Hilo	394.38	47386	Hilo
3	North Hilo	370.65	1720	Hilo
4	Hāmākua	580.50	6108	Hāmākua
5	North Kohala	132.92	6038	Kohala
6	South Kohala	351.72	13131	Kohala
7	North Kona	489.01	28543	Kona
8	South Kona	335.38	8589	Kona
9	Kaʻū	922.22	5827	Kaʻū
	Hawaiʻi County	4028.02	148677	6 moku

County council districts do not directly match the property tax districts because of the variation in the population density of voters in urban areas to rural areas; Hilo & Kailua (Kailua-Kona) towns are densely populated areas, while other districts such as Kaʻū, Puna, Hāmakua, and North & South Kohala are more sparsely populated.

Several government functions are administered at the county level that are at the state or municipal level in other states. For example, the county has its own office of liquor control.

State government

Hawaii Department of Public Safety previously operated the Kulani Correctional Facility in Hawaii County, on the Island of Hawaii. In 2009, the Hawaii Department of Public Safety announced that Kulani Correctional Facility would close.

Localities

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	46,843		—
1910	55,382		18.2%
1920	64,895		17.2%
1930	73,325		13.0%
1940	73,276		−0.1%
1950	68,350		−6.7%
1960	61,332		−10.3%
1970	63,468		3.5%
1980	92,053		45.0%
1990	120,317		30.7%
2000	148,677		23.6%
2010	185,079		24.5%
U.S. Decennial Census Historical Population 1900-90

Census-designated places

Ainaloa Captain Cook Eden Roc Fern Acres Fern Forest Halaula Hawaiian Acres Hawaiian Beaches Hawaiian Ocean View Hawaiian Paradise Park Hawi

Hilo Holualoa Honalo Honaunau-Napoopoo Honokaa Honomu Kahaluu-Keauhou Kailua Kalaoa Kapaau Keaau

Kealakekua Keokea Kukuihaele Kurtistown Laupahoehoe Leilani Estates Mountain View Naalehu Nanawale Estates Orchidlands Estates Paauilo

Pahala Pahoa Papaikou Pepeekeo Paukaa Puako Volcano Waikoloa Village Waimea Wainaku

Other communities

• Ahualoa
• Hakalau
• Waiohinu

National protected areas

• Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail
• Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge
• Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
• Honokōhau Settlement and Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park
• Kona Forest National Wildlife Refuge
• Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park
• Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site

Economy

Top employers

According to the County's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the county are:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	State of Hawaii	8,115
2	Hawaii County	2,745
3	United States Government	1,364
4	Hilton Waikoloa Village	984
5	Wal-Mart	852
6	KTA Super Stores	800
7	Mauna Loa Resort	685
8	The Fairmont Orchid	577
9	Four Seasons Resort Hualalai	562
10	Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel	487

Sister cities

Hawaii County has 10 sisters:

• Hualien City, Taiwan (1971)
• La Serena, Chile (1994)
• Legazpi City, Philippines (1970)
• Nago City, Okinawa, Japan (1986)
• Oshima, Japan (1962)
• Sao Miguel Island, Portugal (1980)
• Shibukawa, Gunma Prefecture, Japan (1997)
• Sumoto, Japan (2000)
• Tasmania, Australia (1997)
• Yurihama, Tottori Prefecture, Japan (1996)

External links

• County website
• Mayor's office
• Volcanoes National Park
• Economic background from the Revision of the Hawaii County General Plan