Elevation: 2000 - 4000 feet

Current Real Estate Stats

Think million-dollar panoramic views. Think of rich, red soil so fine that your feet send up puffs of dry dust as you walk in the bare dirt. Think of world-famous sweet Kula onions, and fascinating, magical-looking protea flowers. Think of tree-lined roads wending their way over the mountain slopes -- the smell of eucalyptus as you drive along the upper highway, the beauty of the blooming jacarandas and silk oak trees along the lower one. Think wide expanses of pasture land dotted with stands of opuntia cacti. (This is dry country, after all, tucked away in the wind-shadow of Haleakala mountain, on the leeward side of the island.)

Think of small family farms and ranches with old wooden houses dating from great- grandpa's time. The diversity of crops harvested in this fertile place, trucked down the mountain to the Central Valley below, include a wide variety of flowers, cabbages, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, assorted fruits and even wine grapes.

Once upon a time Kula farms and ranches provisioned whaling ships, and Kula was called "Nu Kaleponi" (New California). Hungry miners during the California Gold Rush created such a demand for Kula's potatoes, onions and other vegetables they caused a major increase in the prices of the crops grown in the area. The population boomed in the area as farmers had their own rush for the gold, shipping off their produce to the Mainland. Population dwindled again when the gold frenzy died down and Californians settled in to farm their own lands.

Nowadays the fastest-growing "crops" are the homes in subdivisions built to accommodate folks looking for a quiet, country way of life.

The Kula area is divided into four communities: Omaopio, Pulehu, Waiakoa and Kula itself (which is sometimes further subdivided into upper and lower Kula). Currently, there are a few small stores in the area, but no real town center.