Kailua-Kona is located on the west coast of the Big Island in the North Kona District of the Island of Hawaiʻi. The population was 9,870 at the 2000 census. It is the center of commerce and of the tourist industry on West Hawaiʻi. The town's post office is designated Kailua-Kona to differentiate it from the larger, Kailua located on windward Oʻahu, although it is referred to as "Kona" in everyday speech. Many place names in the Hawaiian Islands are repeated on several islands, but the two Kailuas are the only confusing conflict in this regard. The city is served by Kona International Airport. 

History

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 Hawaiʻi. (The capital was later moved to Maui then, to Honolulu.  Royal fishponds at Kaloko-Honokōhau 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.

Kona is the site of the annual Ironman Triathlon World Championship and the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament.

Kona coffee is the variety of Coffea arabica cultivated on the slopes of Mount Hualalai and Mauna Loa in the North and South Kona Districts.