More historic than 12% of U.S. towns · #57 of 93 in Hawaii. What drives it
Most of Kalaheo was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1963 on.
The Kalaheo post office opened in 1915, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Homestead (1909), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 4,996111 years
How historic is Kalaheo?
D
More historic than 12% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Kalaheo post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Kalaheo’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Kalaheo is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #57 of 93 in Hawaii. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Kalaheo’s overall grade.
Few Hawaii towns list much on the Register (a typical Hawaii town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Kalaheo’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Hawaii towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.5 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). 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 Kalaheo’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Kalaheo yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Kalāheo (literally, "the proud day" in Hawaiian) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Kauaʻi County, island of Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi, United States. The population was 4,996 at the 2020 census, up from 3,913 at the 2000 census. The National Tropical Botanical Garden is located in Kalāheo.
Its first post office opened in 1915. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 4,595 to 4,996 (+9%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Kalaheo, 1909 to 1986
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Kalaheo post office opened in 1915, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Kalaheo rank for history?
Kalaheo is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #57 of 93 in Hawaii. 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 Kalaheo?
5% of Kalaheo’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.5 points), against a typical 1.7% for a Hawaii town; the median home was built in 1981.
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 the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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.
Date?
