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33-527: Puna is one of the 9 districts of Hawaii County on the Island of Hawaiʻi (Big Island; County of Hawaiʻi). It is located on the windward side (east side) of the island and shares borders with South Hilo district in the north and Kaʻū district in the west. With a size of just under 320,000 acres (1,300 km) or 500 sq. miles, Puna is slightly smaller than the island of Kauaʻi . Puna cropland supports floriculture , nurseries and macadamia nuts . Most of

66-621: A new coastline. In July 2010, lava from Kīlauea continued into the Kalapana region destroying a home that was only 5 years old, leaving 35 homes remaining in the Kalapana Gardens Subdivision. The 2010 lava flow partly covered the 1986–1992 flow field again, while attracting thousands of visitors a day. Access to the village was reestablished and a thriving farmers market was held every Wednesday night until May, 2018 when lava flows impacted nearby roads. For many years

99-681: 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. 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, Hāmākua, and North & South Kohala are more sparsely populated. Several government functions are administered at

132-411: A religion. 18.4% are Catholic; 3.7% are of another Christian faith; 5.1% are LDS; 5.0% are of an Eastern faith; 0.1% are Muslim. 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 nonpartisan basis. In 2020, Mitch Roth was elected mayor, succeeding Harry Kim , who lost reelection after being defeated in

165-408: A spatter cone called Puʻu ʻŌʻō on the east rift zone of Kīlauea Volcano in a northwest direction towards the villages of Kaohe Homesteads and Pahoa. In early September it appeared that the lava flow was en route to the small community of Kaohe Homesteads. Community leaders and state officials began to draw up plans for evacuations and the mayor signed an emergency proclamation as residents of

198-565: Is Hilo . There are no incorporated cities in Hawaii County (see Hawaii Counties ). The Hilo Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Hawaii County. Hawaii County has a mayor–council form of government. In terms of geography, Hawaii County is the most expansive county in the state and the most southerly county in the United States. The mayor of Hawaii County is Mitch Roth, who took office in 2020. Legislative authority

231-487: Is characterized by gentle slopes with no defined waterways. Although rainfall is occasionally very heavy (one storm in 2003 brought 36 inches (90 cm) of rain in 24 hours), flooding is rare due to the slope and porosity of the volcanic rock. The vegetation ranges from rainforest to desert shrub and coastal strand . Large areas of native forest are present in the Wao Kele o Puna and Kahauala tracts. Besides visiting

264-438: Is land and 1,058.69 square miles (2,742.0 km ) 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.) As of 2010 ,

297-410: Is vested in the nine-member Hawaii County Council. Hawaii County is one of seven counties in the United States to share the same name as the state they are in (the other six are Arkansas County , Idaho County , Iowa County , New York County , Oklahoma County , and Utah County ). Hawaii County has a total area of 5,086.70 square miles (13,174.5 km ); 4,028.02 square miles (10,432.5 km )

330-604: The United States Census Bureau has defined many of these communities as a census-designated places (CDP). The census definition of these areas may not precisely correspond to local understanding of the area with the same name. The affordable housing prices have led to an enormous increase in developments in Puna, and have made this district the fastest growing area on the Big Island. In the last 20 years

363-570: The 2016 lava to provide emergency access around the 2018 lower Puna eruption . On May 3, 2018, a fissure opened and lava started spewing out on Mohala Street in Leilani Estates . By June 5, 2018, reports from Hawai'i County officials indicated that hundreds of homes in several subdivisions had been destroyed by the ongoing eruption. By early August, when the eruption ended, over 13.7 square miles had been covered by lava, including about 875 acres of new land offshore. For statistical purposes,

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396-403: The 500 square miles of Puna. Living in Puna has some other unique considerations. For example, most homes in Puna rely on rainwater catchment for their household water. This lack of water availability for firefighting is also an issue with insurance companies. The climate is a mild tropical climate with abundant rainfall, especially in the northern parts and areas of higher elevation. The terrain

429-637: The Chain of Craters alternate route began by making a path over a wall of lava rock covering the road in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The $ 12 million to $ 15.5 million route, to be re-established between the park and Kalapana as a gravel road, would have been the only road in and out of lower Puna, if the June 27 lava flow had made its way to the sea. The park closed the end of Chain of Craters Road as construction began. Nearly 8 miles of

462-505: The Fall of 2014, lava briefly touched the outskirts of Pahoa, the main village in Puna, before halting and seeking a new course south into the ocean at Kamokuna. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, when constructed, had two entrances. The entrance from lower Puna was cut off in 1986, and several miles of the road along the ocean were covered by several flows that occurred over the course of the eruption. Millions of tourists came each year to witness

495-690: The Kaohe Homesteads subdivision learned that lava from Kilauea Volcano was just 0.8 miles (1.3 km) away and could reach them within a week. On September 13, a release from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory stated that the flow had begun to shift away from the subdivision as it had interacted with both the cracks and down-dropped blocks within the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea volcano and a natural valley that leveled away from Kaohe Homesteads. In early October 2014,

528-445: The active Kīlauea volcano and the formerly active and now cooled lava flows in the area of Kalapana , another interesting site within the Puna district was the heated tide pools at Ahalanui Beach Park (aka Puʻalaʻa County Park), where spring water was naturally heated through geothermal energy and this mixed with ocean water along the shoreline. Prior to the eruption in 1960 at Kapoho , the pools were not heated but were cold; in 2018

561-607: 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. 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. According to the county's 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report ,

594-414: The island had a resident population of 185,079. There were 64,382 households in the county. The population density was 17.7/km (46/sq mi). There were 82,324 housing units at an average density of 8/km (21/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 34.5% White , 29.2% from two or more races, 22.6% Asian , 12.4% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander and 0.7% African American ; 11.8% of

627-427: The lava flow continued on its path it would cover and close the only route in and out of lower Puna, Highway 130 . On October 22, The National Park Service announced that it would help state and county officials create an emergency route along 8 miles of the buried Chain of Craters Road in order to help Puna residents who would lose access to the rest of Hawai‘i if that lava flow covered Highway 130. Construction of

660-484: The lava flow was heading towards the community of Pahoa, Hawaii. On October 25, the flow had crossed Cemetery Road at Apa'a Road near the Pahoa Recycling and Transfer Station, a waste/trash station, which was closed and relocated due to the lava flow. The flow was quickly advancing on a nearby cemetery and triggered the first series of evacuations. On November 10, the flow claimed a home. Officials feared that if

693-533: The park was overrun by lava. Hawaii County, Hawaii Hawaii County ( Hawaiian : Kalana o Hawaiʻi ; officially known as the County of Hawaiʻi ) is a county in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Hawaiian Islands . It is coextensive with the Island of Hawaii , often called the "Big Island" to distinguish it from the state as a whole. The 2020 Census population was 200,629. The county seat

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726-763: The parts of Puna that are located in Lava Flow Hazard Zones 1 or 2. The entire Kīlauea rift zone region is in Zone 1, while the southeastern slope is in Zone 2. Most home insurance companies will not cover homes in Zone 1 or 2 for values over $ 350,000. Most of the volcanic destruction of private property in Hawaiʻi since the 20th century has occurred in lower Puna, including the destruction of sections of Kapoho , Royal Gardens , Kalapana and Kaimū . Since 1983 (but prior to 2018), lava flows destroyed about 190 structures and covered approximately 50 square miles out of

759-454: The population has grown by nearly 20,000 people and it is estimated that Puna will have a higher population than Hilo by 2020. However, between 2002 and 2006 the price of houses more than doubled and the price of vacant land increased over fivefold, as increasing numbers of people from outside the district (often from the mainland U.S.) bought into the last affordable market in the state. Homeowners Insurance can be more difficult to secure in

792-412: The population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. The largest ancestry groups were: There were 64,382 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a woman whose husband did not live with her, and 30.4% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who

825-629: The primary election. Legislative authority is vested in a nine-member County Council. Members of the County Council are elected on a nonpartisan basis to two-year terms from single-member districts. As of December 2016, Hawaii County Council has a female supermajority for the first time, with six women and three men. Administrative districts were originally based on the traditional land divisions called Moku of Ancient Hawaii . Some more heavily populated districts have since been split into North and South districts to make them more comparable on

858-425: The roadway, officially known as Chain of Craters Road inside the park and Highway 130 outside of it, had been covered by past flows from the ongoing Puʻu ʻŌʻō eruption that threatened Pahoa. Chain of Craters Road, which opened in 1965, had portions blocked or covered by lava for 37 years of its 49-year existence, according to the park. The road is about 19 miles long inside the park. The lava flow stopped just short of

891-399: The spectacle of a torrent of lava plunging into the sea and exploding as it hit the water. Lava flows continued to add new land to the old shoreline, often resulting in an unstable delta that periodically formed cracks and broke off into the sea; visitors were provided with viewing stations at a safe distance. In June 2014, a lava flow dubbed the June 27th flow started flowing from a vent of

924-482: The state’s papayas crops are grown in the lower Puna area which is regarded as the best place in the Islands to grow the crop. The Puna District is subject to frequent lava eruptions and flows, which include the complete destruction of the community of Kapoho , a result of the devastating 2018 lower Puna eruption , as Puna is located on a volcanic rift zone of Kilauea Volcano . Kalama's map of 1837 shows that Puna

957-488: The top employers in the county are the following: The Hawaii Department of Education operates public schools in Hawaii County. Hawaii County's sister cities are: 19°35′N 155°30′W  /  19.583°N 155.500°W  / 19.583; -155.500 Kalapana, Hawaii Kalapana is a town and a region in the Puna District on the Island of Hawaiʻi in the Hawaiian Islands . The town

990-485: The village of Pahoa. In 2016 a new flow (called Episode 61G by the United States Geological Survey ) emerged from Puʻu ʻŌʻō in a southerly direction, the shortest way to the ocean, across an area that had been covered in lava during the preceding decades. The emergency road connecting Hwy 130 to the Chain of Craters Road was severed by the new flow. In 2018 this road was again cleared through

1023-456: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.24. The age distribution was 26.1% under 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 100 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98 males. 41.3% of the people on Hawaii island are religious, meaning they affiliate with

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1056-605: Was a Moku (traditional district) covering the southeastern corner of the island before the great mahele of the Hawaiian Kingdom . Kīlauea is one of the world's most active volcanoes, and until August 2018 was continuously in action since 1983 along Kīlauea's East Rift Zone , and closely monitored by the Hawaii Volcano Observatory . The Royal Gardens subdivision and the villages of Kaimu and Kalapana were largely destroyed by lava flows and in

1089-680: Was the original location of the Star of the Sea Painted Church . In 1990, lava flows from the Kūpaʻianahā vent of Kīlauea destroyed and partly buried most of the town, as well as Kalapana Gardens and nearby Royal Gardens subdivisions. The lava flow that destroyed Kalapana erupted from the southeast rift zone of Kīlauea. Along with the destruction of Kalapana were those of the nearby town of Kaimū and Kaimū Bay, both of which now lie buried beneath more than 50 feet of lava. The lava flow created

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