Until World War II Caloundra had a few adjoining suburbs such as Kings Beach, Shelly Beach and Moffat Beach. The local estate agent, Farlow and Henzell, offered a few residential blocks in Dicky Beach, but it was not until 1946 that there were more extensive offerings. Roy Henzell began his subdivisions at Golden Beach, south of Caloundra township, and at Currimundi and Shelly Beach to the north (1948).

In the 1960s Alfred Grant Pty Ltd and the Hooker Corporation undertook the extended Kawana Island development, ultimately forming six suburbs that were developed over four decades. Henzell's began the Pelican Waters canal suburb in 1989. Inland suburbs were also developed in the 1980s-90s - Aroona, Caloundra West, Little Mountain and Meridan Plains.

Aroona was formally named in 1988, and the source of the name was Sydney Endacott's Aboriginal Words and Place Names (Melbourne, 1973) which purported that aroona meant flowing water. The suburb is west of Nicklin Way where it adjoins Battery Hill and the Caloundra golf course. Aroona lies on the route of a proposed railway line from Beerwah to Maroochydore. Its population in 2006 was 3015.

Caloundra West is predominantly industrial, with Caloundra Aerodrome (1973) in the south and an adjoining industrial area. Its residential area adjoins Aroona and Little Mountain, and includes a retirement village. The residential area west of the aerodrome has Unity College (2006), a P-12 school jointly run by the Catholic and Uniting churches. Caloundra West's census population in 2006 was 2211.

Little Mountain, west of Aroona and Caloundra West, is considered by local representatives to be a middle-class area compared with adjoining suburbs. It has a relocatable home park, but that is outnumbered by retirement estates. There are several neighbourhood parks and a large bushland reserve named in 2004 after a local conservationist, Jill Chamberlain. Little Mountain has a Bunnings store on Caloundra Road and local shops. Its census population in 2006 was 6713.

Other Caloundra suburbs are described as stated below under further reading.