Ewa Beach or simply Ewa is a census-designated place (CDP) located in Ewa District and the City & County of Honolulu along the coast of Māmala Bay on the leeward side of Oahu in Hawaii. As of the 2010 Census, the CDP had a total population of 14,955. The U.S. postal code for Ewa Beach is 96706.

History and etymology

The word ewa means "stray" in Hawaiian. 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. Hawaiian settlement on the Ewa Plain dates back at least to the 12th century C.E., at which time kanaka maoli expanded the main channel of Puuloa (Pearl Harbor) before creating fishponds and terraced agricultural fields in the surrounding area. Scholars have recognized Ewa's ancient fishponds as exemplary evidence of Native Hawaiian ingenuity. Before Ewa Beach became a town, it was first a huge plantation farm. With 11000 acres 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. 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. Along much of the South Shore of Oahu, Ewa is a reference to the direction of Ewa 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

Ewa Beach is located at 21°18'56" North, 158°0'26" West. The main thoroughfare is Fort Weaver Road (State Rte. 76) which runs north (away from the coast) past Ewa 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 sqmi, of which 1.4 sqmi is land and 0.4 sqmi is water. The total area is 24.06% water, consisting entirely of the Pacific Ocean off the island shore. The Ewa Beach CDP does not include Ocean Pointe, Ewa Gentry, Iroquois Point, or Ewa Villages, though these are included within the postal service's ZIP code for the area.

Climate

Demographics

As of the census there were 16,415 people forming 3,415 households in the CDP. The population density was 10,682.1 PD/sqmi. 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

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

Education

Ewa Beach is served by the Hawai'i Department of Education. Elementary schools in the 'Ewa Beach CDP include Ewa Beach, Kaimiloa, and Pohakea. Ilima Intermediate School, and James Campbell High School are in 'Ewa Beach CDP. Schools nearby but outside the CDP include Iroquois Point Elementary School (near but not in the Iroquois Point CDP), 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.

Little League World Series

In 2005, the team from Ewa Beach, representing (locally) West Oahu 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.

Notable people