Waimea, Hawaiʻi County, Hawaii
census-designated place in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States
Waimea is a landlocked community in Hawaiʻi County, Hawaii, United States. Waimea is the center for ranching activities and paniolo culture. The name Waimea means reddish water. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined that community as a census-designated place (CDP). The population was 7,028 at the 2000 census and 9,212 at the 2010 census. Since each U.S. state cannot have more than one post office of the same name, and there is a post office in Waimea, Kauai County, the official U.S. Post Office designation for Waimea is Kamuela, although this name is only used by the post office, not by locals nor road signage.
The Parker Ranch in and around Waimea is the largest privately owned cattle ranch in the United States, and the annual Fourth of July rodeo is a major event. The Waimea Cherry Blossom Heritage Festival is held annually in the first week of February.
Waimea is home to the headquarters of two astronomical observatories located on Mauna Kea, the W. M. Keck Observatory and the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope. It is headquarters of the International Lunar Observatory Association.
The public source identifies “Waimea, Hawaiʻi County, Hawaii” as census-designated place in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Waimea, Hawaiʻi and County.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Waimea, Hawaiʻi County, Hawaii”, the useful work is to connect “census-designated place in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1318641. VIAF identifies the subject as 123351727. The Library of Congress control number is n2003019959. Authority coordinates are 20.020, -155.668. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2000 and 2010.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Waimea, Hawaiʻi County, Hawaii”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Waimea, Hawaiʻi County, Hawaii primary sources, Waimea, Hawaiʻi County, Hawaii archive and Waimea research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Waimea, Hawaiʻi County, Hawaii”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Waimea, Hawaiʻi County, Hawaii” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.