Captain Cook in the South Kona district of the Big Island

Captain Cook is a small area located in the South Kona district of the Big Island. Although residents have to travel to nearby towns for essentials and shopping, they choose to live in Captain Cook because of the secluded and low key environment.  Since 2000, the population has increased about 12 percent to fewer than 3,600 residents.  Additionally, the town of Captain Cook, originally a land division of Kealakekua, got its name because the post office was located in the Captain Cook Coffee Company during the 1900s.   

The climate in Captain Cook is ideal for growing coffee which is very evident by the amount of high acreage real estate with coffee farms growing on the land.   In fact, Captain Cook is home to the Koa Coffee Plantation, a grower and processor of Kona Coffee on the Big Island.

In addition to the agricultural advantages of living here, it also features some of the best snorkeling and diving in all of Hawaii due to the calm protected waters around Kealakekua Bay. Many residents move here or have second homes for that very reason.

Captain Cook real estate offerings are comprised of mostly single family homes and land. Most homes here are situated on lots of a few acres or more. There is variety in terms of the list prices to fit most any budget.  Homes that are on the lower end of the spectrum need work while others feature main houses along with small cottages for friends and other family members or workers for those who desire to own a working coffee or produce farm. 

Most of the neighborhoods in Captain Cook have homes that start in the low- to mid-$200s and $300s and include Keopuka-Mauna, Kona Paradise, and Kealia House Lots. Other neighborhoods like Honaunau Coffee Lots and the Coffee Farm Lots have property starting in the mid $300s for acreage with coffee crops growing.  For more upscale neighborhoods, McCoy Plantation and Kaoha Ranch Estates offer homes that start in the upper $600s and climb to over $1 million.

The median sales price for single family homes is about $500K while that of land with no noted improvements being $100K (as of December 1, 2011) with the median number of days on the market is about 157 days for single family homes and 248 days for land. Because of the uptick in population and the relatively shorter lifecycle on the market, it a good time to sell your home if that is what you are considering. For buyers, as we stated above, there is something for every budget. 

If you are interested in living in a quiet, serene environment and enjoy diving, make sure come to Captain Cook.  It is a beautiful area and a great spot for those who want to be off the radar.