The west side extends from Kalaheo through 'Ele'ele, Hanapepe, Waimea, and Kekaha to the Pacific Missile Range Facility and Polihale State Park at the end of the road. Kauai's economy is booming. Unemployment is relatively low and there is much more opportunity for work and new business on Kaua'i than there has been for most of the '90s. Like the rest of Hawai'i, about one-third of all jobs are in the visitor industry. The visitor growth rate on Kaua'i consistently outpaces the rest of the state.
Retail business is most successful in the resort areas.
New stores continue to open and those that find a niche market tend to perform well. On the construction front, things are much better than they have been during the last few years. Builders are now working with six month backlogs and new projects start almost daily. A steady stream of plans continues to flow through the building department, and permit values are at their best levels in years. For decades, agriculture on Kaua'i meant sugar, but today there is only one plantation left - Gay and Robinson.