Everywhere you look, there are changes throughout Hamakua - it's been ten years since the sugar industry left this Big Island's windward coast. What acted as a microcosm of this change is a recent kumiai (community associatiton) gathering. In the earlier days, what made up the base of the population were Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese and Filipino laborers; presently, we see small farmers, urban escapees, second-home buyers and early-retiring baby boomers. Great realtors were quick to point out this change in population - and they've distinguished that islanders who have left Honolulu and Maui and those who have moved from the West Coast of continental US make up the new population base of the Hamakua Coast's Hawaii real estate.
But in 1994 through 2001, virtually all of this real estate was divested mostly to major buyers who have started to resell them in smaller lots. In the three-year period 2001-2004, Hawaii County issued some 250 building permits for the Hamakua Coast.
The situation today is very different: its over 2200 residents are enjoying its mild weather. The Honoka'a economy has long been tied to agriculture--where once sugar was king, now banana, sweet potato, rambuttan, mangosteen, macadamia nuts and taro fields dominate the locality. Diversity is the new watchword for the Hamakua coast, with entrepreneurial farmers also trying their hand at eucalyptus farming (for paper production) and hardwood stands of teak and mahogany. Additionally, the Hawaiian Sturgeon and Caviar Company started making efforts to raise sturgeon for caviar there. Indeed, the Hamakua Coast and its Hawaii real estate are making a comeback.
This article was added on Saturday 03 October, 2009.
