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| History: Pahoa, until the 1880s, was a dense tropical rain forest with Ohia trees ranging to 100 feet in height, providing homes for the myriad species of native birds. Beginning in the 1880s trees were harvested for railroad ties and lumber. Then came sugar cane, through the 1970s, and now, homes
and businesses.
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| Many of the buildings still standing in Pahoa were built by the Japanese during the lumber mill era.The front porches of these buildings now comprise the elevated wooden sidewalks fronting businesses and restaurants.
Pahoa is also home to the oldest theater in the state — the Akebono Theater, (pictured) |
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| Statistics: Pahoa is located on the eastern side of the Big Island of Hawaii, 19 miles southeast of the town of Hilo and Hilo International Airport, in the Puna District on Highway 130 east of Keaau. The population of Pahoa is approximately 1000, with an annual rainfall of 146.8 inches. The main part of town is on a lava flow more than a thousand years old, while Kalapana, just 11 miles to the southeast, dates to the past decade, and that flow is still continuing about 12 miles south in Volcano National Park. |
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| Today: Pahoa is the busy center of the lower Puna District with restaurants, businesses, recreational facilities and community services. There is a post office, police substation, fire station with ambulance service, a community center with activities for seniors and children, and an Olympic-sized pool. With a weekly open market downtown and the nearby Makuu market, Pahoa offers everything. |
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