Kalawao County, Hawaii

Kalawao County
County
Location within the U.S. state of Hawaii
Hawaii's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 21°11′49″N 156°58′02″W
Country	United States
State	Hawaii
Seat	none (administered by Hawaii Dept. of Health)
Population  (2000)
• Total	147

Kalawao County is a county located in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The county is on the Kalaupapa Peninsula, on the north coast of the island of Moloka'i. The small peninsula of Kalaupapa is isolated from the rest of Moloka'i by sea cliffs over a quarter-mile high—the only land access is a mule trail.

Kalawao County is a separate county from the rest of Moloka'i, which is part of Maui County. Maui County does not claim jurisdiction over the three villages of Kalaupapa, Kalawao, and Waikolu. Some maps, however, do not show Kalawao as a separate county.

The county does not have a county government, with the exception of a sheriff who is selected from local residents by the State Department of Health, which administers the county.

The county is coextensive with the Kalaupapa National Historical Park, and encompasses the Kalaupapa Settlement where the Kingdom of Hawaii, the territory, and the state once exiled persons suffering from leprosy (Hansen's disease) beginning in the 1860s. The quarantine policy was lifted in 1969, after the disease became treatable on an outpatient basis and could be rendered non-contagious. However, many of the resident patients chose to remain, and the state has promised they can stay there for the rest of their lives. No new patients, or other permanent residents, are admitted. Visitors are only permitted as part of officially-sanctioned tours. State law prohibits anyone under the age of 16 from visiting or living there. In terms of population size, Kalawao County is second smallest in the United States, behind only Loving County, Texas.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 136 km² (52 mi²). 34 km² (13 mi²) of it is land and 101 km² (39 mi²) of it is water (mostly the Pacific Ocean). It is the smallest county in size in the United States.

Demographics

As of the 2000 Census² there were 147 people, 115 households, and 21 families residing in the county. The population density was 4/km² (11/mi²). There were 172 housing units at an average density of 5/km² (13/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 38 White people, 25 Asians, 71 Pacific Islanders, 4 from other races, and 9 from two or more races. Six of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. No one responding to the census was counted as Black/African American or as Native American.

There are 115 households in Kalawao County, out of which two had children under the age of 18 living with them, nineteen were married couples living together, three had a female householder with no husband present, and 93 were non-families. Ninety-one households were made up of individuals, and thirty-six of those consisted of someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.28 and the average family size was 2.27.

In the county, the population was spread out with three people under the age of 18, two from 18 to 24, 27 from 25 to 44, 68 from 45 to 64, and 47 who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 59 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.80 males.

See also

• Father Damien
• Leper colony

External links

• Is it a county or not?