24/7 Trauma and Biohazard Cleanup in Wailea, HI

Wailea is a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County, on the southwestern leeward coast of Maui, and the 2020 census counted 6,027 people there.

Wailea was developed as a resort community beginning in 1971 by a partnership of Alexander & Baldwin and Northwestern Mutual, and before 2010 the area was part of the Wailea-Makena census-designated place.

The name Wailea means "water of Lea," after Lea, the goddess of canoe-builders, who in legend transformed the area into a forest for birds.

In ancient Hawaiian times the area was a fishing settlement where people grew sweet potatoes (uala) near the shore, and in the past two centuries cattle raising became a mainstay of the local economy, centered on places such as Ulupalakua Ranch.

The CDP covers 10.74 square miles, of which 7.44 square miles are land and 3.30 square miles are water, and it is bordered by Makena to the south, Kihei to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and Haleakala to the east.

Wailea has multiple beaches, including Polo Beach, Wailea Beach, Ulua Beach, Mokapu Beach, and Keawakapu Beach.

Wailea Resort is a 1,500-acre master-planned resort whose development is guided by a master plan and the Wailea Community Association's design guidelines, and the association has managed the community since 1984.

Major employers in Wailea include the Grand Wailea Resort, the Four Seasons Resort Maui, the Fairmont Kea Lani, the Marriott Wailea Beach, and the Wailea Golf Club.

The median age in Wailea was 56.2 years in 2020, with 11.9 percent of residents under 18 and 33.3 percent aged 65 or older.

The 2020 census counted 2,802 households in Wailea and 5,519 housing units, of which 49.2 percent were vacant.