Kapa'a, Hawai'i

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Kapaʻa (Kauaʻi dialect: Tapaʻa) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kauaʻi County, Hawaiʻi, United States. The population was 9,472 at the 2000 census.

Nounou the Sleeping Giant.

The town has a large concentration of hotels, shopping centers, and tourist-oriented shops and restaurants. Unfortunately, it also has the worst traffic congestion on the island of Kauaʻi, with a regular mainland-style rush hour each afternoon. The state government has built an inland bypass road and implemented a contraflow lane reversal program; these measures have only partially alleviated the traffic problems.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 External links

[edit] History

Kapaʻa means solid in Hawaiian. The town is located in the ancient district of Puna, in the Kapaʻa ahupuaʻa or county. Ahupuaʻa were pie shaped wedges of land that stretched from mountain to sea allowing its inhabitants the full range of landscapes and climates. The famous "Sleeping Giant" or Nounou Mountain overlooks the town.

[edit] Geography

Kapaʻa is located at 22°5′18″N, 159°20′16″W (22.088281, -159.337706)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 25.9 km² (10.0 mi²). 25.3 km² (9.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (2.40%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 9,472 people, 3,129 households, and 2,281 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 375.1/km² (971.2/mi²). There were 3,632 housing units at an average density of 143.8/km² (372.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 27.81% White, 0.34% African American, 0.52% Native American, 31.67% Asian, 9.95% Pacific Islander, 1.00% from other races, and 28.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.46% of the population.

There were 3,129 households out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.44.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $39,448, and the median income for a family was $45,878. Males had a median income of $30,129 versus $25,680 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $16,878. About 14.1% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.6% of those under age 18 and 12.6% of those age 65 or over.