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History · Volcano

Volcano’s post office opened in 1953

Most of Volcano was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1994. Below: 8 old photos and papers and maps from 1922 on.

1953first post office
0on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
8old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Volcano’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Volcano began

When was Volcano founded?

1953

The Volcano post office opened in 1953, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 73673 years
Founding year: the first Volcano post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Volcano’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Mystery photos8 old photos have no date. Neighbors can guess the decade.On the map since 19225 editions of the USGS map, 1922 to 1997. Watch Volcano change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Volcano’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Volcano’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo8 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewHawaii Volcanoes National Park Roads: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Volcano on the map, 1922 to 1997

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Volcano. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Volcano on the 1922 USGS mapVolcano on the 1963 USGS mapVolcano on the 1977 USGS mapVolcano on the 1981 USGS mapVolcano on the 1997 USGS map1922Puna 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 Volcano.

The story so far

Volcano, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Volcano yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Volcano, or Volcano Village, is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States located in the District of Puna with a small portion of the CDP in the District of Kaʻū. As of the 2020 census, Volcano had a population of 736.

Its first post office opened in 1953. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,575 to 736 (-71%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Volcano, 1922 to 1953

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1922On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1951Born hereGarrett Hongo is born here
  4. 1953Post officeThe Volcano post office opens
By decade

Volcano, decade by decade

Date unknown8 to date
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park RoadsDate?Hawaii Volcanoes National Park RoadsHawaii Volcanoes National Park Water Collection System, Hawaii Volcanoes National ParkDate?Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Water Collection Syste…Hilina Pali RoadDate?Hilina Pali RoadMauna Loa RoadDate?Mauna Loa RoadCrater Rim DriveDate?Crater Rim DriveChain of Craters RoadDate?Chain of Craters RoadNamakani Paio Campground, Highway 11Date?Namakani Paio Campground, Highway 11'Ainahou Ranch Water System, Ka'u DistrictDate?'Ainahou Ranch Water System, Ka'u District
Today17 recent
Kilauea Lodge Volcano Hawaii 20212021Kilauea Lodge Volcano Hawaii 2021Volcano, Hawaii Near Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park2010Volcano, Hawaii Near Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National ParkStarr 040220-0331 Tibouchina urvilleana2004Starr 040220-0331 Tibouchina urvilleanaStarr 040220-0327 Tibouchina urvilleana2004Starr 040220-0327 Tibouchina urvilleanaStarr 040220-0326 Tibouchina urvilleana2004Starr 040220-0326 Tibouchina urvilleanaStarr 040220-0321 Tibouchina urvilleana2004Starr 040220-0321 Tibouchina urvilleanaStarr 040220-0320 Tibouchina urvilleana2004Starr 040220-0320 Tibouchina urvilleanaStarr 040220-0319 Tibouchina urvilleana2004Starr 040220-0319 Tibouchina urvilleanaStarr 020719-0040 Ligustrum sinense2002Starr 020719-0040 Ligustrum sinenseStarr 020719-0039 Ligustrum sinense2002Starr 020719-0039 Ligustrum sinenseStarr 020719-0036 Ligustrum ovalifolium2002Starr 020719-0036 Ligustrum ovalifoliumPseudonestor xanthophrysc. 2002Pseudonestor xanthophrysOreomystis manac. 2002Oreomystis manaMyadestes palmeric. 2002Myadestes palmeriMyadestes palmeri (cropped)c. 2002Myadestes palmeri (cropped)Chasiempis sandwichensis ridgwayic. 2002Chasiempis sandwichensis ridgwayiBranta sandvicensis Volcano Winery Big Islandc. 2002Branta sandvicensis Volcano Winery Big Island
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Roads
Retake this viewHawaii Volcanoes National Park Roads

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Volcano’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Volcano Golf CourseIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMauna Loa EstatesIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMountain ViewIts storyD−

Questions about Volcano’s history

What year was Volcano founded?

The Volcano post office opened in 1953, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (17), the Library of Congress (8), 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.