Hawaii County Comprehensive Strategy for Juvenile Justice

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COUNTY OF HAWAII Hawaii County or the "Big Island," is the southernmost island in the Hawaiian chain. It is the youngest and also the largest with slightly over 4,000 square miles. This is roughly twice the landmass of the rest of the State combined. The southernmost tip of the Big Island is also the southernmost part of the U.S. The Big Island is an island of great geographical diversity. Hilo on the east side of the island receives an average of 130 inches of rain per year while Kona in the west (roughly 75 miles away) receives only 25 inches annually. This is largely due to the volcanoes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa which form a mountain barrier separating the eastern and western halves of the Island. According to the 2000 census, Hawaii County is home to 148,677 residents or about 12% of the State's population. Population distribution among the nine judicial districts within the County is as follows: JUDICIAL DISTRICTS POPULATION % OF TOTAL COUNTY POPULATION South Hilo 47,386 32.9 % Puna 31,335 21.1 % a'u 5,827 3.9 % South Kona 8,589 5.7 % Forth Kona 28,543 19.2 % South Kohala 13,131 8.8 % Worth Kohala 6,038 4.1 % Hamakua 6,108 4.1 % Forth Hilo 1,720 1.2 % The seat of government is located in Hilo, which is on the eastern side of the island, while the majority of tourism-related activity takes place in Kona and South Kohala, on the western side of the island. East and South Hawaii in general have lower land prices than in North and West Hawaii, with income figures from the four geographic areas reflecting land prices. Approximately 15% of homes in Hawaii County do not receive water from County or private sources but rather rely on water catchment systems and private wells. Most of these homes are in remote and/or non-conforming subdivisions, few of which have paved roads and, in some cases, commercial electrical power. Given these housing patterns, it should be clear that availability of social and emergency services is sporadic. 7