Waimea, Kauaʻi County, Hawaii

History

Original settlers

Between 200 and 600 AD, the first settlers arrived in Kaua‘i from the Marquesas Islands. It is not clear why the voyagers sought a new homeland. They brought taro, sweet potato, pigs, fowl, and seeds. They were experienced farmers and fishermen, with advanced irrigation techniques that allowed them to thrive on the land.

Around 1000 AD, Tahitian explorers arrived in Hawai‘i and conquered the Marquesans. According to Hawaiian legend, the small-in-stature Marquesans were chased into the hills by the Tahitians and became the "Menehune", thought to be responsible for bad luck. The Tahitians brought with them a social and political hierarchy with distinct rules and taboos, also called "kapu". It was forbidden for women and men to eat together, for women to eat pork or bananas, and for anyone to step on the shadow of a royal. This kapu system, with kings (ali‘i), thrived and ruled for hundreds of years before Western explorers first made contact in the Islands.

First Western contact

On January 20, 1778, the British explorer James Cook and his ships, HMS Discovery and Resolution, arrived at the mouth of the Waimea River on the western side of Kaua‘i. Originally, Cook sent three small craft to Waimea so that his men could determine whether the ships could dock there. They found a freshwater lagoon alongside a native village, so Cook and his men anchored their ships and went ashore on smaller craft.

Cook's mission is thought to be one of scientific and social exploration. His men documented the flora and fauna of the Waimea area and tried to translate the language of the natives. Cook's first contact with the islands was friendly and is responsible for a vast resource of information about the flora, fauna, and culture of Hawai‘i, but it also marks the beginning of the period of colonization of Hawai‘i and its people. The arrival of Europeans also introduced venereal disease and tuberculosis, which decimated the native Hawaiian population.

Economy

Waimea was an important trading post for the maritime fur trade, whaling and sandalwood industries in the late 1700s and early 1800s and in the later 1800s for the sugar industry. In 1815 the fur trading vessel Atahualpa, purchased by the Russian–American Company and renamed Bering, wrecked at Waimea. Waimea's main industries now are construction and tourism. There are two hotels in town: Waimea Plantation Cottages and The West Inn motel. There are several shops, small restaurants, and food trucks. Waimea is the original location of Jo-Jo's Shave Ice and the headquarters of the condiment manufacturer Aunty Lilikoi.

Geography

Waimea is on the southwest side of Kauai at . It is bordered to the west by Kekaha, to the east by Pakala Village, and to the south by the Pacific Ocean. The Waimea River forms the eastern border of the community.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has an area of 5.6 sqkm, of which 4.8 sqkm is land and 0.8 sqkm, or 15.09%, is water, as the CDP boundary extends into the Pacific Ocean.

Climate

Waimea has a Tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification: As).

|Jan record high F = 88 |Feb record high F = 87 |Mar record high F = 89 |Apr record high F = 91 |May record high F = 93 |Jun record high F = 95 |Jul record high F = 94 |Aug record high F = 94 |Sep record high F = 93 |Oct record high F = 92 |Nov record high F = 97 |Dec record high F = 88

|Jan avg record high F = 83.4 |Feb avg record high F = 83.0 |Mar avg record high F = 84.6 |Apr avg record high F = 85.7 |May avg record high F = 87.2 |Jun avg record high F = 88.8 |Jul avg record high F = 89.6 |Aug avg record high F = 90.2 |Sep avg record high F = 90.1 |Oct avg record high F = 89.0 |Nov avg record high F = 87.1 |Dec avg record high F = 84.7 |year avg record high F = 90.9

|Jan avg record low F = 57.2 |Feb avg record low F = 56.5 |Mar avg record low F = 58.8 |Apr avg record low F = 60.2 |May avg record low F = 62.3 |Jun avg record low F = 64.8 |Jul avg record low F = 66.0 |Aug avg record low F = 66.6 |Sep avg record low F = 65.6 |Oct avg record low F = 64.1 |Nov avg record low F = 62.1 |Dec avg record low F = 58.5 |year avg record low F = 54.4

|Jan record low F = 43 |Feb record low F = 43 |Mar record low F = 52 |Apr record low F = 49 |May record low F = 53 |Jun record low F = 57 |Jul record low F = 56 |Aug record low F = 59 |Sep record low F = 58 |Oct record low F = 52 |Nov record low F = 52 |Dec record low F = 53

|access-date = May 22, 2023 |access-date = May 22, 2023

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,787 people, 620 households, and 456 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,707.2 PD/sqmi. There were 676 housing units at an average density of 645.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 12.7% White, 0.1% African American, 0.2% Native American, 43.0% Asian, 12.3% Pacific Islander, 1.1% from other races, and 30.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.2% of the population.

There were 620 households, out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the CDP the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 22.4% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $44,398, and the median income for a family was $46,591. Males had a median income of $38,542 versus $26,513 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,778. About 8.1% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.2% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

Every February Waimea hosts a celebration of Hawaiian culture at the Waimea Town Celebration. The festival began in 1978 and has become a nine-day event. Activities include a celebration of Kaumuali‘iu, Kaua‘i's last king, a film festival, several concerts, a lei-making contest for paniolo (cowboy) hats, a rodeo, a canoe race, and numerous other sporting events.

The Historic Waimea Theater opened on September 2, 1938, and is one of only two remaining movie theaters on Kaua‘i. The theater was damaged by Hurricane Iniki in 1992, and the owner planned to tear it down. West Kaua‘i Main Street leased the building in 1993 and began to restore the theater. The County of Kaua‘i purchased the building in 1996, and in August 1999, it reopened to the public under the management of West Kauai Business & Professional Association.

Education

Hawaii has one statewide school district, Hawaii State Department of Education. Waimea has two public schools: Waimea Canyon Middle School and Waimea High School (the westernmost high school in the United States).

Hawaii State Public Library System operates the Waimea Library.

References

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. {{Hawaiian Dictionaries. Waimea
3. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Waimea CDP (Kauai County), Hawaii". U.S. Census Bureau.
4. "How Did Hawaii Came to Be?".
5. Schutz, Albert J., ''The Voice of Eden: A History of Hawaiian Language Studies'', 1994
6. "A brief history of Hawaii 300AD ~ 1900".
7. (2011-02-12). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
8. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
9. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
10. "Home".
11. "The Venue".
12. "Waimea Public Library". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].