Kalawao County, Hawaii

Kalawao County, Hawaii
Location in the state of Hawaii
Hawaii's location in the U.S.
Founded	1905
Seat	none (administered by Hawaii Dept. of Health)
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	52.33 sq mi (136 km²) 13.21 sq mi (34 km²) 39.12 sq mi (101 km²), 75%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	90 10/sq mi (4/km²)
Congressional district	2nd
Time zone	Hawaii-Aleutian: UTC-10

Kalawao County is a county located in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The county is on the Kalaupapa or Makanalua Peninsula, on the north coast of the island of Molokaʻi. The small peninsula of Kalaupapa is isolated from the rest of Molokaʻi by sea cliffs over a quarter-mile high—the only land access is a mule trail.

Kalawao County is a separate county from the rest of Molokaʻi, which is part of Maui County. Maui County does not claim jurisdiction over the three villages of Kalaupapa, Kalawao, and Waikolu. Some maps, however, do not show Kalawao as a separate county.

The county does not have a county government, with the exception of a sheriff who is selected from local residents by the State Department of Health, which administers the county.

The county is coextensive with the Kalaupapa National Historical Park, and encompasses the Kalaupapa Settlement where the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, the Republic of Hawaiʻi, the territory, and the state once exiled persons suffering from leprosy (Hansen's disease) beginning in the 1860s. The quarantine policy was lifted in 1969, after the disease became treatable on an outpatient basis and could be rendered non-contagious. However, many of the resident patients chose to remain, and the state has promised they can stay there for the rest of their lives. No new patients, or other permanent residents, are admitted. Visitors are only permitted as part of officially sanctioned tours. State law prohibits anyone under the age of 16 from visiting or living there, although limited exceptions have been made for children seeing their relatives.

With a population of 90 at the 2010 census, Kalawao County's population is the second smallest of any county in the United States, ahead of only Loving County, Texas. Ranked by median household income, it is the poorest county in the United States.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 52.33 square miles (135.5 km²), of which 13.21 square miles (34.2 km²) (or 25.24%) is land and 39.12 square miles (101.3 km²) (or 74.76%) is water (mostly the Pacific Ocean). By land area, it is the smallest county in the United States. However, there are 22 independent cities in Virginia that are smaller than Kalawao County.

Subdivisions

Traditionally, the area of Kalawao County has been composed of four ahupuaʻa. The ahupuaʻa are listed below, from west to east.:

Nr.	Ahupuaʻa	Area mi²	Area km²	Population
1	Kalaupapa	2.079	5.385	122
2	Makanalua	3.229	8.363	8
3	Kalawao	3.294	8.531	9
4	Waikolu	5.544	14.359	0
	Kalawao County	14.146	36.638	139

Kalaupapa ahupuaʻa is located on the west side of Kalaupapa peninsula, and includes a section of Molokaʻis coast further west. Makanalua ahupuaʻa is a strip of land in the center of the peninsula that runs to its northern tip. Kalaupapa Airport is located in the north of Makanalua ahupuaʻa. Kalawao ahupuaʻa includes the eastern coast of Kalaupapa peninsula and Waialeia Valley to the southeast. Further southeast is virtually uninhabited Waikolu ahupuaʻa in the namesake valley.

Adjacent counties

• Maui County, Hawaii—south

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	1,177		—
1910	785		−33.3%
1920	667		−15.0%
1930	605		−9.3%
1940	446		−26.3%
1950	340		−23.8%
1960	279		−17.9%
1970	172		−38.4%
1980	144		−16.3%
1990	130		−9.7%
2000	147		13.1%
2010	90		−38.8%
U.S. Decennial Census Historical Population 1900-90

As of the census of 2000, there were 147 people, 115 households, and 21 families residing in the county. The population density was 11 people per square mile (4/km²). There were 172 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 25.85% White, 17.01% Asian, 48.30% Pacific Islander, 2.72% from other races, and 6.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.08% of the population.

There were 115 households out of which 1.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 16.50% were married couples living together, 2.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 80.90% were non-families. 79.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 31.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.28 and the average family size was 2.27.

In the county the population was spread out with 2.00% under the age of 18, 1.40% from 18 to 24, 18.40% from 25 to 44, 46.30% from 45 to 64, and 32.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 59 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.80 males.

The results of the censuses of population since 1900 shows the decline of population:

The annual population estimates since the last census of population 2000 (as of July 1 of each year) show a further decline in population:

2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
145	138	133	129	119	119	119	118	117	83	90

Transportation

Molokaʻi Airport on the island of Molokaʻi in Maui County provides air service to the whole of Molokaʻi. Commuter air service is available at Kalaupapa Airport, which is located within the county.

See also

• Father Damien
• Leper colony

External links

• Hawaii's 4 (or 5) Counties Accessed 2010-09-28.
• Is Kalawao County, on the north shore of Molokai, really a separate county? Published by hawaiihighways.com. Accessed 2010-09-28.