8Asians | An Asian American collaborative blog

Daly City in California is often cited as a center for Filipino American culture.  Completely understandable with Filipino Americans comprising 35% of its population. On a recent vacation to Hawaii, I discovered a city that is an even bigger center  – the Filipino American city of Waipahu.

What makes Waipahu so Filipino American? First, Filipino Americans make up 55% of the population. Waipahu is the only US city I could find with a Filipino American majority.  I wondered if Waipahu has a Filipino Mayor. Interestingly, Waipahu itself doesn’t have a mayor, as it is governed by the city-county government structure used by the state of Hawaii.

Filipino Culture and Amenities

Second, it has many many amenities for Filipino Americans. Search engine queries about Waipahu mention its Filipino food as a highlight of the town. Number One Son put together an itinerary for The Wife and me of places to eat. One of his recommendations was a Filipino fusion restaurant in Waipahu.  Seafood City (a Filipino grocery chain from the Philippines) set up in Waipahu in 2014, far longer than Daly City, which just got it one recently. A large Iglesia ni Cristo church surprised me. This Christian church originated in the the Philippines. It’s church in Waipahu is shown below.

Most importantly, Waipahu has an incredible Filipino community center. The Wife and I were on Oahu to attend a wedding. Because the groom grew up in Waipahu, the ceremony and shower were there. I talked to the father of the bride. He said that groom’s mother proposed that the wedding shower be held in the city’s Filipino community center. Initially, he was skeptical. He thought it would be somewhat small and older, like the Filipino Community Center in San Jose, where he and I both live. Instead, we were both blown away by how large and modern it is, having been built in 2002. It is large enough to hold concerts accommodating a 1000 people. It includes a medical clinic focusing on the local Filipino American population. I have included a picture of one of its event spaces, where the wedding shower was held.

Filipino American History in Waipahu

Since October is Filipino American History Month, I want to mention that Waipahu has much Filipino American history.  It was originally a plantation town, and many of the early Filipino agricultural workers who came to Hawaii  starting in the early 20th century (the sakadas) were workers there.  Many of the sakadas were from the Ilocos region of the Philippines, which is why one hears more Ilocano than Tagalog in Hawaii. In addition, Waipahu hosts the Hawaii’s Plantation Village, an outdoor museum and recreation of plantation life.

One of the donors who helped make the Waipahu Filipino community center possible is a significant Filipino American figure who I did not know about. Ed Flores was a key player in expanding the L&L Barbecue chain. He noticed that Hawaiian food sold well at a San Francisco pop-up, and decided to expand the chain from Hawaii to the mainland.  L&L Barbecue now has hundreds of restaurants across the US and the rest of the world.

Visit Waipahu for Filipino American Culture and History

I would like return to the Filipino American city of Waipahu. The Wife and I didn’t get a chance to try Number One Son’s recommended restaurant. We also didn’t get a chance to check out the Plantation Village. If you do visit Hawaii and are interested in Filipino culture, history, and food, check out Waipahu.

(map photo credit: Arkyan licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license)