Hawaiian Ocean View Estates, also referred to as HOVE, is said to be the largest subdivision in the United States. It is located in the town of Ocean View, in the southern Ka’u district of the Big Island of Hawai’i.
HOVE boasts the best value on the dry side of Hawai’i, with the average, unimproved vacant land lot currently selling for under $10,000. There are minimum restrictions, resulting in a wide variety of property styles and conditions.
There is a diversity of landscape; ranging from wooded and lush zones to bare lava moonscape. The nearly 150 miles of private HOVE roads are maintained by the HOVE Road Association for which a mandatory annual approx. $100 fee is due.
The road through Ocean View
A Large & Growing Big Island Community
Ocean View is located nearly midway between Kailua-Kona and Hilo. Some businesses in this southern town include 3 gas stations, 2 grocery stores, an Ace Hardware store, and a few places to eat, including an excellent pizzeria/bakery.
HOVE was developed in the 1950s by the Crawford Oil Company into 10,000+ 1 acre parcels and set up like a grid, where straight roads crisscross, starting from the highway at about 1,500’ elevation to the top, which is at about 5,000’. Manuka State Park borders the subdivision to the north and Kahuku National Park borders it to the south. (HOVE Road Grid).
Hawaiian Ocean View Estates is just one subdivision in Ocean View, Hawai’i. More subdivisions are located on the makai (ocean) side of the highway and have larger, 3-20 acre parcels. Not all of Ocean View offers an ocean view, but much of it does. The more awesome views are of miles of open ocean, the windmills, and the cliffs at South Point.
HOVE is a GREEN Conscious Community
The residents of HOVE have a reputation for being resourceful and adventurous. Much of the subdivision has access to HELCO electric, which currently costs ~$.40/kWh. Those residents without access to the power grid, are harnessing the readily available renewable resources of solar and wind power. Heating needs are supplemented by propane, which can be purchased in town.
There is no municipal water source in Ocean View. All water is supplied by each property’s Catchment system, which funnels the water caught on roofs into holding tanks. (More info on Catchment Systems – read a 51 page publication produced by the University of Hawaii at Manoa, College of Tropical and Human Resources (CTAHR)).
Market Activity in HOVE
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