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Kalawao

Ghost town · Kalawao County, Hawaii

Kamalo quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1952, 1:24,000)
Kamalo quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1952, 1:24,000) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Kalawao is a ghost town in Kalawao County, Hawaii, recorded as locality in Hawaii, United States. It is the only former community in Kalawao County recorded on the federal names register, out of 103 across Hawaii.

At its height the population reached about 9.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Kalawao as a historical populated place: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 21.1778° N, 156.9489° W.

Key facts

Peak population9
Last recorded population9
Elevation124 ft
Nearest living townKaunakakai, HI
Distance to it6.7 miles
Coordinates21.17778, -156.94889

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Kalawao is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Kaunakakai, HI (population 3,721), about 6.7 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 124 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Images

Father Damien's original church being restored.
Father Damien's original church being restored. · Austin McGee / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

Nearby places

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.