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is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, in the North Kona District of the Island of Hawaii. The population was 9,870 at the 2000 census. It is the center of commerce and of the tourist industry on West Hawaii. Its post office is designated Kailua-Kona to differentiate it from the larger Kailua located on windward Oahu, although it is sometimes referred to as "Kona" in everyday speech. Many place names in the Hawaiian Islands are repeated on several islands, and the two Kailuas are a major confusing conflict in this regard. The city is served by Kona International Airport, located in the adjacent Kalaoa CDP. Kailua-Kona was the closest major settlement to the epicenter of the 2006 Hawaii Earthquake.
The community was established by King Kamehameha I to be his seat of government (he was originally the chief of Kona before consolidating rule of the archipelago), and the capital of the newly unified Kingdom of Hawaii. (The capital was later moved to Lahaina, then, to Honolulu.) Royal fishponds at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park were the hub of unified Hawaiian culture. The town then functioned as a retreat of the Hawaiian royal family. Up until the late 1900’s, Kailua-Kona was primarily a small fishing village. More recently, this region has undergone a real estate and construction boom fueled by tourism and investment.