 It can be reached by sea or mule train but if you
intend to visit Kalawao County, leave your children behind. State law
prohibits anyone under the age of sixteen from living in or visiting
the least populated county in America. Visitors
are only permitted as part of officially-sanctioned tours.
According to the latest census bureau estimates. Kalawao County, Hawaii is now the least populated
county in the US with a population count of just 90
people remaining in this island paradise where children are
not allowed.
Kalawao County is Kalaupapa
Peninsula, on the north coast of the island of Molokai. The
small peninsula of Kalaupapa is isolated from the rest of
Moloka'i by sea cliffs over a quarter-mile high —
the only land access is a mule trail.
The
county is coextensive with the Kalaupapa National Historical
Park, and encompasses the Kalaupapa Settlement where the
Kingdom of Hawaii, the territory, and the state once exiled
persons suffering from leprosy (Hansen's disease) beginning
in the 1860s. The quarantine policy was lifted in 1969,
after the disease became treatable on an outpatient basis
and could be rendered non-contagious. However, many of the
resident patients chose to remain, and the state has
promised they can stay there for the rest of their lives.
It is a county without local government, with the exception of a sheriff who is
selected from local residents by the State Department of
Health, which administers the county.
The population of Kalawao
County, Hawaii remained steady in 2013 leaving the total to
90 people living in 113 homes and apartments spread across
11.99 square miles. The new estimate moves Kalawao County to
number one in our list of least populated counties in the
US.
People who live in Kalawao
County have an annual income of $50618 which is $21391 more
than the statewide average for Hawaii. The average per
capita income nationwide is $28051. Kalawao County ranks
number one for highest income in sparsely populated
counties. The US Census
Bureau reports 22.7% of the county's residents are foreign immigrants who have settled in one of the most remote places in America.
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