On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hawaiian Ocean View is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #59 of 93 in Hawaii State. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hawaiian Ocean View’s overall grade.
Few Hawaii State towns list much on the Register (a typical Hawaii State town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hawaiian Ocean View’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Hawaii State towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±2.9 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Hawaiian Ocean View’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The HOVE development consisted of 10,697 1-acre (4,000 m2) lots north of the Hawaii Belt Road in the western part of the District of Kaʻū. The terrain varies from rugged lava fields to ohiʻa trees and other vegetation. Elevation ranges from about 1,500 ft (460 m) up to the 5,000-foot (1,500 m) level. Initial sales began in the late 1950s. The original developer of HOVE was the Crawford Oil Company. Later, other subdivisions were put in place downslope of HOVE and the Hawaii Belt Road. In the early 1980s a service station and a hardware store were built.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hawaiian Ocean View. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1928Hoopuloa sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hawaiian Ocean View.
Questions about Hawaiian Ocean View’s history
How does Hawaiian Ocean View rank for history?
Hawaiian Ocean View is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #59 of 93 in Hawaii State. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Hawaiian Ocean View?
2% of Hawaiian Ocean View’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 1.7% for a Hawaii State town; the median home was built in 2001.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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