Captain Cook is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in

Hawaii County, Hawaii Hawaii County ( haw, Kalana o Hawaiʻi) (officially known as the County of Hawaii) 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 ...

, in the United States, located in the District of South Kona. The community, within the land division of Kealakekua, is so named because the post office for the area was located in the Captain Cook Coffee Co. during the early 1900s. As of the 2010 census the CDP population was 3,429, up from 3,206 at the 2000 census. As of March 2022, a resolution was under consideration to rename the town to "Kawa'aloa", meaning "long landing place".

Geography

Captain Cook is located on the west side of the island of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

at (19.498211, -155.904275). It is bordered to the north by

Kealakekua Kealakekua is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 2,019 at the 2010 census, up from 1,645 at the 2000 census. It was the subject of the 1933 popular song, "My Little Grass Shack in Keala ...

and to the south by Honaunau-Napoopoo.

Hawaii Route 11 Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

, part of the

Hawaii Belt Road The Hawaii Belt Road is a modern name for the Māmalahoa Highway and consists of Hawaii state Routes 11, 19, and 190 that encircle the Island of Hawaii. The southern section, between Hilo and Kailua-Kona is numbered as Route 11. The section betw ...

, passes through the community, leading north to

Kailua-Kona Kailua-Kona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It is also known as Kailua (a name it shares with a community located on the windward side of Oahu), as Kona (a name it shares ...

and south to Naalehu. Hawaii Route 160 diverges from Route 11 in Captain Cook, leading south by a winding road to Napoopoo on

Kealakekua Bay Kealakekua Bay is located on the Kona coast of the island of Hawaii about south of Kailua-Kona. Settled over a thousand years ago, the surrounding area contains many archeological and historical sites such as religious temples (heiaus) and also ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the Captain Cook CDP has a total area of , all of it land. Most of Captain Cook lies between the and elevation, which makes it ideal as a

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...

-growing region. It sits on the top of an ancient fault which created the famous

. Prior to the 1960s, most of Captain Cook was part of the vast Kealakekua Ranch, founded in the 1850s by English immigrant

Henry Nicholas Greenwell Henry Nicholas Greenwell (9 January 1826 – 18 May 1891) was an English merchant credited with establishing Kona coffee as an internationally known brand. His family became major land-holders in the Kona District of the island of Hawaii. The G ...

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 3,429 people in 1,258 households residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 1,386 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 31.44%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.67%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.38% American Indian & Alaska Native, 27.65%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 10.67% Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander, 2.16% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 27.03% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 9.51% of the population. There were 1,258 households, out of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them. The average household size was 2.73. In the Captain Cook CDP the population was spread out, with 20.6% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 11.6% from 25 to 34, 15.4% from 35 to 49, 28.3% from 50 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 101.1 males. For every 100 males there were 98.9 females. For the period 2011–2015, the median estimated annual income for a household in the CDP was $66,276, and the median income for a family was $73,661. Male full-time workers had a median income of $35,833 versus $42,344 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the CDP was $38,885. About 10.2% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Lava zones, redlining, and insurance issues

Captain Cook shares much in common with the District of Puna. Both districts are situated on active volcanoes and contain large sections of land that are in Lava Flow Hazard Zone 2. Additionally, new lava hazard zones 11, 12, and 13 are being established to account for current flow activity to reduce

redlining In the United States, redlining is a discriminatory practice in which services (financial and otherwise) are withheld from potential customers who reside in neighborhoods classified as "hazardous" to investment; these neighborhoods have signif ...

Points of interest

Amy B. H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden The Amy B. H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden is a Hawaiian botanical garden near Captain Cook, Hawaii in the Kona District on the Big Island of Hawaii. The gardens closed for the public on January 31, 2016. They are slated to re-open on Februa ...

Koa Coffee Plantation Koa Coffee Plantation is a former grower and processor of Kona coffee on Hawaii (island), Hawaii island, United States, acquired by Paradise Beverages DBA Hawaii Coffee Company in 2009. Koa Coffee Plantation is roasted in Honolulu by Hawaii Coffee ...

Kona Coffee Living History Farm Kona Coffee Living History Farm is located on the Daisaku Uchida Coffee Farm, in the Kona District, on the Big Island of Hawaii. The historic Kona coffee farm was established in 1900. The open-air agriculture museum depicts the daily lives o ...

* Rodney J. T. Yano Memorial Hall

Education

Hawaii Department of Education The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) is a statewide public education system in the United States. The school district can be thought of as analogous to the school districts of other cities and communities in the United States, but i ...

operates Konawaena Elementary School in the CDP.
2000 Map: Two schools, Konawaena Middle School and

Konawaena High School Konawaena High School is a public school located in Kona District, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. Konawaena means "the center of the leeward side" in the Hawaiian Language. The school has a Kealakekua mailing address, and it, along with Ko ...

, are on a campus partially in Captain Cook CDP and partially in Kealakekua CDP. - The portion with the campus is o
page 9

2000 Map: - Shows that the middle and high school share the same plot.

References

{{Authority control Census-designated places in Hawaii County, Hawaii Populated places on Hawaii (island) Populated coastal places in Hawaii