On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Wailea is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #63 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 Wailea’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 Wailea’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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.2 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 Wailea’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wailea was originally a fishing settlement and its name translates to “water of lea” the goddess of canoe-builders. Legend has it she transformed the area into a beautiful forest for birds and would frequently fly above it to appreciate its beauty. In ancient Hawaiian times natives would settle toward the mountains of Wailea where they grew sweet potatoes (uala) and would venture down to the shore to fish.
In the past two centuries cattle raising became a mainstay of the economy and led to the formation of places such as Ulupalakua Ranch.
Wailea is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #63 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 Wailea?
1% of Wailea’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.2 points), against a typical 1.7% for a Hawaii town; the median home was built in 1988.
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 (6), Wikipedia 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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