Kaunakakai () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County, Hawaii, United States. It is the largest town on the island of

Molokai Molokai , or Molokai (), is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its greatest length an ...

. The population was 3,419 at the 2020 census. It has the largest port on the island and the longest pier in Hawaii. The town was made famous in the 1930s by the song "The Cockeyed Mayor of Kaunakakai", beginning an ongoing tradition of designating an honorary mayor for the town.

History

In the mid-1800s,

King Kamehameha V Kamehameha V (Lota Kapuāiwa Kalanimakua Aliʻiōlani Kalanikupuapaʻīkalaninui; December 11, 1830 – December 11, 1872), reigned as the fifth monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi from 1863 to 1872. His motto was "Onipaʻa": immovable, firm, s ...

sometimes spent his summers on

at a home in Kaunakakai. The main street of Kaunakakai, Ala Malama Avenue, was named after the king's summer home. Around mid-1935, the song was written for the celebration of the first honorary mayor, the cockeyed mayor of Kaunahahai, during the vacation visit by Academy Award winning Best Actor in 1929, Warner Baxter. The "election" was a seven day celebration by the locals and Baxter's vacation party.

Geography

Kaunakakai is located at (21.088968, -157.012542). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 22.00%, is water.

Climate

Kaunakakai has a tropical savannah (As) climate.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 3,425 people, 1,254 households, and 850 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 1,533 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 15.4% White, 0.5% Black, 0.3% Native American, 22.2% Asian (of whom 15.5% were Filipino), 22.4% Native Hawaiian, 0.3% from other races, and 37.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or

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 5.9% of the population. There were 1,254 households, out of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 27% of households had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.32. As of the census of 2000, in the CDP the population was spread out, with 31.8% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $34,492, and the median income for a family was $39,348. Males had a median income of $30,543 versus $22,337 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $14,201. About 15.5% of families and 20.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.4% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Census-designated places in Maui County, Hawaii Populated places on Molokai Populated coastal places in Hawaii