ʻEwa Beach (/ɛvə/)[2] or simply ʻEwa (Hawaiian pronunciation: [ˈʔɛvə]) is a census-designated place (CDP) located in ʻEwa District and the City & County of Honolulu along the coast of Māmala Bay on the leeward side of Oʻahu in Hawaii. As of the 2010 Census, the CDP had a total population of 14,955. The U.S. postal code for ʻEwa Beach is 96706.

ʻEwa Beach
ʻEwa
Aerial photo of the ʻEwa Beach area of Oʻahu
Aerial photo of the ʻEwa Beach area of Oʻahu
Location in Honolulu County and the state of Hawaiʻi
Location in Honolulu County and the state of Hawaiʻi
Coordinates: 21°18′56″N 158°0′26″W / 21.31556°N 158.00722°W / 21.31556; -158.00722
Country United States
State Hawaii
CountyHonolulu
Area
 • Total
1.63 sq mi (4.23 km2)
 • Land1.19 sq mi (3.09 km2)
 • Water0.44 sq mi (1.15 km2)
Elevation
10 ft (3 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
16,415
 • Density13,782.54/sq mi (5,320.34/km2)
Time zoneUTC-10 (Hawaii-Aleutian)
ZIP code
96706
Area code808
FIPS code15-07450
GNIS feature ID0358767
Ewa Beach Park

History and etymology

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The word ʻewa means "stray" in Hawaiian.[3] The name comes from the myth that the gods Kāne and Kanaloa threw a stone to determine the boundaries, but it was lost and later found at Pili o Kahe.[4] Hawaiian settlement on the ʻEwa Plain dates back at least to the 12th century C.E., at which time kanaka maoli expanded the main channel of Puʻuloa (Pearl Harbor) before creating fishponds and terraced agricultural fields in the surrounding area. Scholars have recognized ʻEwa's ancient fishponds as exemplary evidence of Native Hawaiian ingenuity.[5]

Before Ewa Beach became a town, it was first a huge plantation farm. With 11,000 acres (4,500 ha) of land sublet by Benjamin Dillingham, W.R. Lowrie became the first plantation manager in 1891, when Hawaiʻi was under the rule of Queen Liliʻuokalani.[6] Ewa Beach is significant for its association with Ewa Sugar Plantation. Throughout the twentieth century, it played a very influential role in Hawaii's culture, economy, and politics.[7]

Along much of the South Shore of Oʻahu, ʻEwa is a reference to the direction of ʻEwa Beach, roughly westwards along the shore. Related terms are "mauka" (towards the mountains, roughly northwards), "makai" (towards the ocean, roughly south), and Diamond Head or Koko Head, roughly eastwards along the shore.

Geography

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ʻEwa Beach is located at 21°18'56" North, 158°0'26" West.[8] The main thoroughfare is Fort Weaver Road (State Rte. 76) which runs north (away from the coast) past ʻEwa to Waipahu, connecting there to Farrington Highway (State Rte. 90) and the H-1 freeway.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2), of which 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2) is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km2) is water. The total area is 24.06% water, consisting entirely of the Pacific Ocean off the island shore.

The ʻEwa Beach CDP does not include Ocean Pointe, ʻEwa Gentry, Iroquois Point, or ʻEwa Villages, though these are included within the postal service's ZIP code for the area.[9][10]

Climate

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Climate data for Ewa Beach
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 80.5
(26.9)
80.6
(27.0)
81.4
(27.4)
83.0
(28.3)
84.4
(29.1)
86.6
(30.3)
87.6
(30.9)
88.3
(31.3)
88.3
(31.3)
86.7
(30.4)
84.2
(29.0)
81.6
(27.6)
84.4
(29.1)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 63.2
(17.3)
62.7
(17.1)
64.4
(18.0)
66.2
(19.0)
67.4
(19.7)
69.8
(21.0)
71.1
(21.7)
71.4
(21.9)
70.4
(21.3)
69.6
(20.9)
67.9
(19.9)
65.3
(18.5)
67.4
(19.7)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.1
(79)
2.2
(56)
2.2
(56)
1.2
(30)
1.0
(25)
0.4
(10)
0.5
(13)
0.4
(10)
0.7
(18)
1.9
(48)
2.8
(71)
3.3
(84)
19.8
(500)
Source: Weatherbase[11]

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note
200014,650
201014,9552.1%
202016,4159.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]
 
Ewa beach view to southwest

As of the census[13] there were 16,415 people forming 3,415 households in the CDP. The population density was 10,682.1 inhabitants per square mile (4,124.4/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 6.1% White, 0.0% African American, 0.0% Native American, 54.5% Asian, 11.6% Pacific Islander 11.6% Hispanic or Latino of any race, and 27.6% from two or more races.

There were 3,415 households, out of which 19.% had children under the age of 18 and a further 5.1% children under 5 living with them. The average household size was 4.38 people per household.

As of the 2020 census, the median income for a household in the CDP was $114,207 with the per capita income for the CDP was $32,248. 6.4% of the population were recorded as below the poverty line.

Government and infrastructure

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The United States Postal Service operates the ʻEwa Beach Post Office in ʻEwa Beach.[14] The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center is also headquartered in the CDP.

Education

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ʻEwa Beach is served by the Hawai'i Department of Education.[9]

Elementary schools in the 'Ewa Beach CDP include ʻEwa Beach,[15] Kaʻimiloa,[16] and Pohakea.[17] Ilima Intermediate School, and James Campbell High School are in 'Ewa Beach CDP.[18]

Schools nearby but outside the CDP include Iroquois Point Elementary School (near but not in the Iroquois Point CDP),[19][20] Holomua Elementary School, Keone'ula Elementary and 'Ewa Makai Middle.

The Hawaii State Public Library System operates the Ewa Beach Public & School Library. Established on the property of Campbell High on August 28, 1971, it is a dual purpose school library and community library.[21]

Little League World Series

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In 2005, the team from ʻEwa Beach, representing (locally) West Oʻahu and the United States, captured the Little League World Series crown, beating Curaçao 7–6 in an extra inning after a walk-off home run by Michael Memea.[22]

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  2. ^ Hawaiʻian Words – Hawaii Place Names
  3. ^ Pukui, Mary Kawena; Elbert, Samuel H. (1986). Hawaiian Dictionary: Hawaiian-English, English-Hawaiian. University of Hawaii Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-8248-0703-0.
  4. ^ "Place Names of Hawaiʻi: ʻEwa".
  5. ^ Jan Becket and Joseph Singer, eds., Pana Oʻahu: Sacred Stones, Sacred Land (Honolulu: the University of Hawaiʻi Press, 1999), 37.
  6. ^ "Ewa Plantation Company". University of Hawaii at Manoa. Hawaii Sugar Planters' Association. October 10, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  7. ^ HistoricHawaii (February 28, 2014). "91-1209 Alanui Mauka Street/Ewa Sugar Plantation Villages". Historic Hawaii Foundation. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  8. ^ "ʻEwa Beach". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  9. ^ a b "Ewa Beach CDP Place Map" (PDF). census.gov. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
    2000 map: "CENSUS 2000 BLOCK MAP: EWA BEACH CDP" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2020-10-09. – Compare the maps to the addresses of schools.
  10. ^ "Zip Code 96706, Ewa Beach, Hawaii Zip Code Boundary Map". zipdatamaps.com. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  11. ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for ʻEwa Beach, Hawaii". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
  12. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  13. ^ "QuickFacts: Ewa Beach CDP, Hawaii". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  14. ^ "Post Office Location – Ewa Beach Archived 2012-06-09 at the Wayback Machine." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 19, 2010.
  15. ^ "Pope School". Archived from the original on 2007-02-24. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  16. ^ Kaimiloa Elementary
  17. ^ "Pohakea Elementary School". Archived from the original on 2007-04-15. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  18. ^ Ilima Intermediate
  19. ^ "Home". Iroquois Point Elementary School. Retrieved 2020-10-09. 5553 Cormorant Avenue, Ewa Beach, HI 96706
  20. ^ 2010 Map: "2010 CENSUS – CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Iroquois Point CDP, HI" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
    2000 map: "CENSUS 2000 BLOCK MAP: IROQUOIS POINT CDP" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
  21. ^ "Ewa Beach Public and School Library". Hawaii State Public Library System. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
  22. ^ "Hawaiian Punch". ESPN. August 28, 2005. Archived from the original on June 2, 2009. Retrieved July 19, 2009.