1 of Kualapuu’s places is on the National Register
More historic than 58% of U.S. towns · #3 of 93 in Hawaii. What drives it
Its Register listing is the Meyer, R. W., Sugar Mill. Most of Kualapuu was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. Its Register listing is the Meyer, R. W., Sugar Mill. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1952 on, and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Kualapuu is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #3 of 93 in Hawaii. 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 Kualapuu’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 Kualapuu’s 3.9 sits above most of its state (78% of Hawaii towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±4.0 points).
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 Kualapuu’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Kualapuu’s post office has been open since 1951. Another post office, Kalae, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Kalae
1902–1909
Hoolehua
1928–today
Kualapuu
1951–today
19001960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
HoʻolehuaKalaʻeKīpūKualapuʻuMaʻālehu
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Kualapuu
KanakaloloaMolokai VeteransR W Meyer
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Kualapuu, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Kualapuu yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Kualapuʻu is a census-designated place (CDP) on the island of Molokai in Maui County, Hawaiʻi, United States. The population was 2,110 at the 2020 census. Kualapuʻu can be literally translated as "hill overturned", but is thought to be a corruption of Puʻuʻuala: "sweet potato hill". The present settlement is a former pineapple cannery village once associated with Del Monte Foods.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 2,027 to 2,110 (+4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Kualapuu, 1902 to 1952
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Kualapuu is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #3 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.
What is on the National Register in Kualapuu?
One place: the Meyer, R. W., Sugar Mill (listed 1979).
How old are the homes in Kualapuu?
9% of Kualapuu’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.0 points), against a typical 1.7% for a Hawaii town; the median home was built in 1980.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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?
