Editing Pāhoa, Hawaii

{{Short description|Census-designated place in Hawaii, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- Basic info  ---------------->
|official_name = Pāhoa
|other_name             = 
|native_name            =  
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|settlement_type = [[Census-designated place]]
|motto                  = 
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|map_caption = Location in [[Hawaii County, Hawaii|Hawai{{okina}}i County]] and the state of [[Hawaii]]
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<!-- Location ------------------>
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|subdivision_name  = United States
|subdivision_type1 = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1 = [[Hawaii]]
|subdivision_type2 = [[List of counties in Hawaii|County]]
|subdivision_name2 = [[Hawaii County, Hawaii|Hawai{{okina}}i]]
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|leader_title           = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name            = Mitch Roth
|leader_title1          = [[Managing Director]] <!-- for places with, say, both a mayor and a city manager -->
|leader_name1           = Wally Lau
|leader_title2          = [[County Clerk]]
|leader_name2           = Stewart Maeda
|leader_title3          = 
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|established_title      =  Settled <!-- Settled -->
|established_date       = early 1900s
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|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_15.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=December 18, 2021}}</ref>
|area_total_km2 = 5.64
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<!-- Population   ----------------------->
|population_as_of               = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
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|population_total = 924
|population_density_km2 = 163.83
|population_density_sq_mi = 424.24
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|elevation_footnotes    =  <!--for references: use <ref> tags-->
|elevation_m            = 199.6
|elevation_ft           = 655
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->
|postal_code_type       = ZIP code <!-- enter ZIP code, Postcode, Post code, Postal code... -->
|postal_code            = 96778
|area_code              = 808
|blank_name             = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
|blank_info             = 15-59900
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|footnotes              = Hawaii does not participate in Daylight Saving Time
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}}
 
[[File:Pahoa on Hawaii Route 130.jpg|thumb|Passing through Pahoa on [[Hawaii Route 130]]]]
'''Pāhoa''' is a [[census-designated place]] (CDP) in the [[Puna, Hawaii|District of Puna]] in [[Hawaii County, Hawaii|Hawai‘i County, Hawai‘i]], United States. The population was 924 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]. The population dropped by 1.8% from 945 in the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]].<ref name=USCensusBureau2010>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/popfinder|title=US Census Bureau - 2010 Population Finder - Pahoa CDP -|author=Website Services & Coordination Staff, 301-763-2157|access-date=29 October 2014}}</ref>

==History==
===2014 lava flow===
{{Further|Puna, Hawaii#2014 lava flow}}
[[File:Kilauea-flow-map 01.jpg|thumb|A map showing the flow direction of the June 25th Lava Flow (as of November 24, 2014)]]

In June 2014, a [[lava flow]] dubbed the June 27th flow started running from a vent in the [[Pu{{okina}}u {{okina}}Ō{{okina}}ō]] cone in a northeast direction towards the villages of [[Kaohe Homesteads|Ka'ohe Homesteads]] and Pāhoa.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Choi|first1=Kenny|title=New Video: Pu'u O'o crater develops new outlet for lava|url=http://www.kitv.com/news/puu-oo-crater-develops-new-outlet-for-lava/26705312|access-date=27 October 2014|work=KITV 4|agency=kitv.com|date=27 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708131023/http://www.kitv.com/news/puu-oo-crater-develops-new-outlet-for-lava/26705312|archive-date=8 July 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Lava on track to reach Pahoa in two weeks|url=http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/20140919_Lava_flow_slows_widens_as_it_reaches_open_field.html|access-date=27 October 2014|work=Honolulu Star Advertiser|date=9 September 2014}}</ref>

In early September it appeared that the lava flow was en route to the small community of Ka'ohe Homesteads.  Community leaders and state officials began to draw up plans for evacuations and the mayor signed an emergency proclamation as the flow approached to within 0.8 miles, a distance it was expected to cover in approximately a week.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Nakaso|first1=Dan|last2=Moseley|first2=Megan|title=Big Isle resident vows to stay until lava burns house|url=http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/20140904_Lava_only_advances_100_yards_not_an_immediate_threat.html?id=274002941|access-date=27 October 2014|work=Honolulu Star Advertiser|date=4 September 2014}}</ref>  On September 13, a release from the [[Hawaiian Volcano Observatory]] stated that the flow had begun to shift away from the subdivision as it had interacted with both the cracks and down-dropped blocks within the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea volcano and a natural valley that leveled away from Ka'ohe Homesteads.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lava slows, misses first homes for now|url=http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/hawaii/kilauea/current-activity-part-2.html#c38674|website=Volcano Discovery|access-date=27 October 2014}}</ref>

The lava flow then advanced on Pāhoa.  On October 25, the flow had reached the town's recycling facility, which was closed and temporarily relocated as a result.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pahoa Transfer Station to Close Friday|url=http://bigislandnow.com/2014/10/23/pahoa-transfer-station-to-close-friday/|access-date=27 October 2014|work=Big Island Now|date=23 October 2014}}</ref>  The flow was quickly advancing on a nearby cemetery and triggered the first series of evacuations.<ref>{{cite news|title=Lava enters Pahoa cemetery grounds|url=http://www.kitv.com/news/lava-enters-pahoa-cemetery-grounds/29348180|access-date=26 October 2014|work=KITV 4|agency=kitv.com|date=26 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141130162744/http://www.kitv.com/news/lava-enters-pahoa-cemetery-grounds/29348180|archive-date=30 November 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Lava nears, evacuations loom|url=http://westhawaiitoday.com/news/volcano-update/lava-nears-evacuations-loom|access-date=26 October 2014|work=West Hawaii Today|agency=Stevens Media|date=26 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027090228/http://westhawaiitoday.com/news/volcano-update/lava-nears-evacuations-loom|archive-date=27 October 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> On November 10, the flow claimed one home.<ref>{{cite news|title=First house claimed by Puna lava flow|work=[[Hawaii News Now]]|first=Mileka |last=Lincoln | date=November 10, 2014|url=http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/27344777/puna-lava-flow-breakout-approximately-5-yards-from-residential-structure-may-claim-first-house-today |access-date=11 November 2014|archive-date=2014-11-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112022513/http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/27344777/puna-lava-flow-breakout-approximately-5-yards-from-residential-structure-may-claim-first-house-today/}}</ref>

[[File:Lava at Pahoa Transfer Station, March 2015.JPG|thumb|Lava from the [[Pu{{okina}}u {{okina}}Ō{{okina}}ō]] cinder cone flowed 14 miles into the town of Pāhoa and breached the boundary of the Pāhoa Transfer Station.]]

Officials feared that the lava would cover [[Hawaii Route 130]], the only route in and out of Pāhoa and of the entire lower [[Puna, Hawaii|Puna]] section of the island.  On October 22, The [[National Park Service]] announced  that it would help state and county officials create an emergency route along 8 miles of the buried [[Chain of Craters Road]] in order to help Puna residents who would potentially lose access to the rest of Hawai{{okina}}i.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/havo/parknews/closure.htm|title="End of the Road" will close during emergency route construction|last1=Ferracane|first1=Jessica|date=21 October 2014|website=National Park Service: Hawaii Volcano National Park|publisher=NPS|access-date=26 October 2014}}</ref>  Construction of the Chain of Craters alternate route began by making a path over a wall of lava rock covering the road in Hawai{{okina}}i Volcanoes National Park.<ref>{{cite news|title=Lava-clearing to begin on Ka'u side of historic road|url=http://westhawaiitoday.com/news/volcano-update/lava-clearing-begin-ka-u-side-historic-road|access-date=26 October 2014|work=West Hawaii Today|agency=Stephens Media|date=22 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027084729/http://westhawaiitoday.com/news/volcano-update/lava-clearing-begin-ka-u-side-historic-road|archive-date=27 October 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> The eruption eventually stopped short of Route 130, and work on the emergency route was called off in November 2014.

===2018 eruption===
The [[2018 lower Puna eruption]] which featured destructive lava flows resulting in the loss of approximately 700 homes, originated in nearby [[Leilani Estates]].

==Geography and environment==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the CDP has a total area of {{convert|2.3|sqmi|km2}}, all of it land.  Soils underlying the Pāhoa area are [[volcanic]] in origin, deriving from the currently active [[Kilauea Volcano|Kīlauea Volcano]] (Earth Metrics Inc., 1986). Kīlauea is one of the Earth's most active volcanoes, with the January 2006 eruption being the longest rift zone eruption in Kīlauea's 200-year recorded history (Volcanology, 2007). The volcanic soils underlying Pāhoa are considered to have been generated by lava flows within the last 125 to 500 years.  For example, the eruption of 1840 is known to have deposited a lava flow within {{convert|1.5|mi|km}} of Pāhoa. Both [[Hawaii Route 130]] and [[Hawaii Route 132]] enter the town boundaries.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|2020= 924
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2016}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]] of 2010, there were 945 people in 321 households residing in the CDP.  The population density was {{convert|410.9|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 356 housing units at an average density of {{convert|154.8|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the CDP was 14.92% [[White Americans|White]], 0.42% [[African Americans|African American]], 1.48% [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]] & [[Alaska Natives|Alaska Native]], 43.49% [[Asian Americans|Asian]], 12.59% [[Pacific Islands Americans|Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander]], 0.95% from [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census#Race|other races]], and 26.14% from [[Multiracial Americans|two or more races]]. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanics or Latinos]] of any race were 6.56% of the population.<ref name=USCensusBureau2010/>

There were 321 households, out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them.  The average household size was 2.94.<ref name=USCensusBureau2010/>

The age distribution was 22.3% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 12.0% from 25 to 34, 18.1% from 35 to 49, 23.0% from 50 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older.  For every 100 females, there were 105.0 males.  For every 100 males age 18 over there were 95.2 females.<ref name=USCensusBureau2010/>

The median income for a household in the CDP at the 2000 census was $33,333, and the median income for a family in 2000 was $43,571. Males had a median income of $26,103 in 2000 versus $23,571 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the CDP in 2000 was $13,850.  About 15.7% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]] in 2000, including 28.9% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

==Culture ==
In the Hawaiian language, the word {{lang|haw|pāhoa}} means dagger or knife.<ref>{{Hawaiian Dictionaries|pāhoa|q=pahoa}}</ref> The {{lang|haw|pāhoa}} held pointing downwards, such as the statue at Pāhoa High and Intermediate School, is a symbol of peace and strength. It is unknown when indigenous Hawaiians settled the area during pre-contact times, but the deep, rich soil and important protected archeological sites in the area suggest a long history of habitation. Legends associated with the Pāhoa area are referenced in Hawai{{okina}}i's ancient oral history in the Pele and Hi{{okina}}iaka Myth.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Emerson|first1=Nathaniel B.|title=Pele and Hiiaka : a myth from Hawaii|date=1915|publisher=Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation|location=Hilo, Hawaii|isbn=9780976450801|edition=Rev.|url=https://archive.org/details/peleandhiiakaam00emergoog|quote=PELE AND HIIAKA   A Myth From Hawaii   BY  NATHANIEL B. EMERSON, A. M., M. D.|access-date=27 October 2014}}</ref>

== Education ==
There are two primary schools in the Pāhoa area, Pāhoa Elementary School and Keonepoko Elementary School, in the Hawaiian Beaches subdivision. There are two secondary schools, [[Pahoa High and Intermediate School|Pāhoa High and Intermediate School]] on Pāhoa Village Road and the [[Hawaii Academy of Arts and Sciences]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Earth Metrics Inc., C. Michael Hogan, ''Engineering Report for the Pahoa Main Post Office, Pahoa, Hawaii 96778'', published by the [[U.S. Postal Service]], Western Regional Office, San Bruno, California, September 5, 1986

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{GNIS|362952|Pāhoa}}
* [http://pahoahi.tripod.com/pahoa/pahoa.htm Pahoa, Hawaii Photographs]
* [http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/maps/ Hawaiian Volcano Observatory-USGS daily flow map]
* [http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/HCV/puuoo_history.html Hawaii Center for Volcanology (2007)]
* [http://www.citytowninfo.com/places/hawaii/pahoa Pahoa, Hawaii Profile (2000)]

{{Hawaii County, Hawaii}}

{{coord|19.494|-154.946|region:US-HI_scale:2000|display=title}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Census-designated places in Hawaii County, Hawaii|Pahoa]]
[[Category:Populated places on Hawaii (island)]]
[[Category:Kīlauea]]