Separated By a River, Princeville and Hanalei Tell Two Stories

Flickr: jaybergesen

Princeville is home to a shopping center, fancy new residential subdivisions and a posh resort recently rebranded as a St. Regis.

Down the hill, Hanalei hasn't seen as much growth. Taro is still a major crop and one-lane bridges control the flow of traffic.

So why did Princeville's income plummet — the largest decrease of the state's 131 towns between the 2000 Census and the 2009 American Community Survey, according to a Civil Beat analysis — while Hanalei's has more than doubled?

One explanation: The simple economic principle of supply and demand.

Loading