Kailua is an unincorporated city ( Census Designated Place ) in Hawaii County , Hawaii , United States , in the North Kona District of the Island of Hawaii . The population was 11,975 at the 2010 census , up from 9,870 at the 2000 census . It is the center of commerce and of the tourist industry on West Hawaii . Its post office is designated Kailua-Kona to differentiate it from Kailua located on the windward side of Oahu island , and it is sometimes referred to as Kona in everyday speech . The city is served by Kona International Airport , located just to the north in the adjacent Kalaoa CDP . Kailua-Kona was the closest major settlement to the epicenter of the 2006 Kiholo Bay earthquake
2006 Kiholo Bay earthquake
2006 Kiholo Bay earthquake
Kailua, Hawaii County, Hawaii