Pahoa City, Hawaii

In the Hawaiian language, the word 'pāhoa' means dagger or knife. The Pāhoa held pointing downwards, such as the statue at Pāhoa High and Intermediate School, is a symbol of peace and strength. It is unknown when the indigenous Hawaiians settled the area during pre-contact times, but the deep, rich soil and important protected archeological sites in the area suggest a long history of habitation. Legends associated with the Pāhoa area are referenced in Hawaii's ancient oral history, i.e., in the Pele and Hi'iaka Myth.

There are two primary schools in the Pāhoa area, Pāhoa Elementary School and Keonepoko Elementary School, which is located in the Hawaiian Beaches subdivision. There are two secondary schools in Pāhoa, Pahoa High and Intermediate School located on Pāhoa Village Road and the Hawaii Academy of Arts and Sciences.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2), all of it land. Soils underlying the Pāhoa area are volcanic in origin, deriving from the currently active Kilauea Volcano. (Earth Metrics Inc., 1986) Kilauea is one of the Earth's most active volcanoes, with the January, 2006 eruption being the longest rift zone eruption in Kilauea's 200 year recorded history. (Volcanology, 2007) The volcanic soils underlying Pāhoa are considered to have been generated by lava flows within the last 125 to 500 years. For example, the eruption of 1840 is known to have deposited a lava flow within 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of Pāhoa. Both State Route 130, and State Route 132 enter the town boundaries.