| Hawaii County, Hawaii | ||
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Location in the state of Hawaii |
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Hawaii's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1905 | |
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| 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), ?% |
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| Population - (2010) - Density |
185,079 46/sq mi (17.7/km²) |
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| 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).
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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[1] (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.)
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.[2] 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.[3]
| Nr. | District | Area mi² |
Population 2000 |
moku | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.[4]
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.[5]
Hawaii Department of Public Safety previously operated the Kulani Correctional Facility in Hawaii County, on the Island of Hawaii.[6] In 2009, the Hawaii Department of Public Safety announced that Kulani Correctional Facility would close.[7]
According to the County's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[8] 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 |
Hawaii County has 10 sisters:[9]
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