The story so far
Poipu, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Poipu yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 979 to 1,299 (+33%).
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History · Poipu
1 of Poipu’s places is on the National Register
More historic than 42% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Its Register listing is the Sakuichi and Chieko Matsumoto Residence. Most of Poipu was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. Below: maps from 1963 on.
1on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
About Poipu’s history
How historic is Poipu?
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What drives the grade ↓More historic than 42% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
History grade
What drives Poipu’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Poipu is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns. 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 Poipu’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19402.6% of homes (±2.2) · typical HI town 1.7% · U.S. 8.4%C−National Register1 listing, 8.5 per 10,000 residents · typical HI town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 42%
NewerOlder
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 Poipu’s 8.5 sits above most of its state (87% 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 (±2.2 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 Poipu’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Poipu’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Poipu’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.By decade
Poipu, decade by decade
Today12 recent
2009Hula dancer performing in Poipu, Kauai
2009Hula dancer in action, Poipu, Kauai, Hawaii
2009Hula dancer in action, Poipu, Kauai, Hawaii
2009Hula dancer in action, Poipu, Kauai, Hawaii
2009Hula dancer in action, Poipu, Kauai, Hawaii
2009Hula dancer in action, Poipu, Kauai, Hawaii
2009Hula dancer in action, Poipu, Kauai, Hawaii
2009Hula dancer in action, Poipu, Kauai, Hawaii
2009Dancing with enthusiasm (4828547297) (2)
2009Another shot from behind
2007Poipu Sunset
2004HIMap-doton-PoipuOn the map
Poipu on the map, 1963 to 1983
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Poipu. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1963Koloa sheet · 1:24,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Poipu.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Poipu
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
2024
Sakuichi and Chieko Matsumoto Residence
Buildings
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Places that used to be
Old corners and burying grounds
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
KukuiʻulaPoʻipū
1cemetery inside Poipu
Bacle Family
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Poipu’s history
How does Poipu rank for history?
Poipu is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns. 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 Poipu?
One place: the Sakuichi and Chieko Matsumoto Residence (listed 2024).
How old are the homes in Poipu?
3% of Poipu’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 points), against a typical 1.7% for a Hawaii town; the median home was built in 1982.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Start a conversation
Sources
Where this page comes from
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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.