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
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.
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.
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]
^Pukui, Mary Kawena; Elbert, Samuel H. (1986). Hawaiian Dictionary: Hawaiian-English, English-Hawaiian. University of Hawaii Press. p. 42. ISBN978-0-8248-0703-0.
