Why are there quite bit of Hawaiian/Samoan people in Seattle/Washington area?

Question

It seems like there is quite a lot of Hawaiian and Samoan people in Seattle area...what is the history/reason behind it? Hawaii and Samoan Islands are not even close from Seattle...and I'm just curious.

Answer 1

Why? Because the cost of living in Hawai'i has become extremely expensive, and these families can no longer afford to live here. Our wages simply do not keep pace with the cost of living in Hawai'i. Ironically, it is Seattle/Bellevue, "investors" who've bought second homes in Hawai'i; these people are largely responsible for driving up the cost of real estate and thus making it next to impossible for local folks (Hawaiian, Samoan, and other ethnic groups) here in Hawai'i to buy a home. NO HAWAIIANS, NO ALOHA. Kaua'i, Maui, and Kona are already the playground of the rich. Born & raised locals whose families have lived there for dozens of generations can no longer afford to live in their 'one hanau. Aue no ho'e e.

The 2000 United States census reported that the State of Washington has the third-largest Pacific Islander population in the United States. Although little is published locally or nationally about this population, organizations, schools and government departments have identified Pacific Islanders as having some of the greatest health, economic and education disparities in this country. For example, National Vital Health Statistics data documents clear disparities in mortality rates and the United States census reports wide disparities in poverty and income levels for Pacific Islanders when compared with other racial groups. Exacerbating these grim economic and health realities, education partners in the Northwest, such as the University of Washington, report Pacific Islanders as having the highest drop out rates per capita of all ethnic groups. Alarmed by these devastating statistics, Puget Sound Pacific Island women began to gather to discuss issues and concerns facing their community. A communal desire to address shared concerns through an action plan inspired the women to form an organization. Thus, the Pacific Island Women’s Association (PIWA) was established in May 2004. Recognizing that there are few organizations that advocate on behalf of Pacific Islanders, PIWA led an effort to identify and address critical issues facing the Pacific Islander community in the Northwest. PIWA determined that the best way to identify the concerns of the broader community was to convene a community forum to gather the voices into a report that could be used to educate policy makers, agencies and organizations.
http://www.northwesthawaiitimes.com/PNWNews.htm

THE SAMOAN COMMUNITY IN THE SEATTLE AREA

Population size and residence

Although the 1990 census shows only 4,130 Samoans in the entire state of Washington, agencies serving Samoans in the Seattle area believe that a more accurate number is more than 10,000. The under-count is likely a result of many Samoan families not responding to the census questionnaire, especially those from Western Samoa who may have been concerned about their immigration status. According to the census, approximately 27 percent of Samoans in the state live in the Seattle area.

Employment and family life

There are two primary reasons Samoans give for immigrating to Seattle: to give their children a better education and because there are no job opportunities in their home country. The majority of Samoan immigrants are young people and less-skilled workers and their children.

In Seattle, Samoans live in family groups. However, instead of families grouping into a village, Samoan families here join churches and look to the church for community support. They are involved in church activities and find groups of church people to work and socialize with. They also center their family activities around the church.

Community organizations

Because of this strong church involvement, the Samoan community in Seattle is fragmented. There are a few community agencies such as Samoan Chiefs Council, Sisters of Samoa, Seattle Samoan Center, and Polynesian Seniors Center. But there is widespread involvement in community activities by family groups.
http://www.ethnomed.org/ethnomed/voices/samoan.html

The KALAMA Foundation is a Native Hawaiian organization created in 1993 - Seattle and in 1998 - Hawai'i. Our main objective is to improve the quality of life for Native Hawaiians by educating the community about authentic Hawaiian Spirituality and Philosophy, its correct application; and strengthening cultural awareness.
http://www.kalama.org/index.html

Answer 2

You wanted to know the history -- which means from the very beginning.

Until now, none of the answers posted as to the origin of Polynesians in the Pacific Northwest is correct. The fact is that Hawaiian emigration to the Pacific Northwest started in the 1800s.

The first permanent white settlement in the Pacific Northwest did not occur until 1825, when Fort Vancouver was established as a fur trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company.

The Hawaiian Islands (called the Sandwich Islands at that time) was a central stopping point in English triangle trade route between China, North America and Europe.

Polynesians represented low cost labor at that time. The Hudson's Bay Company would sign Polynesians (Hawaiians) to 5 year work contracts. At the end of their contract, some went back to Hawaii, and some stayed.

This established a base population. In modern times, as in the past, Polynesians continue to emigrate to the Pacific Northwest for better economic opportunities.

I went on a tour of Fort Vancouver, and the docent told the whole story of the fort, and the origins of the city of Vancouver, Washington.

Answer 3

People are really getting in-depth in their answers here and the breakdowns of the "why" of this question. I'm Tongan and there are a good number of Tongans here in Seattle as well as other PI's like Samoans, Hawaiians, Filipinos, etc. Really, Islanders just like to stick together and in the areas that have Islanders, more of their families are likely to move there as well. There are a number of places, mostly on the West Coast where there are a good number of Islanders in, Seattle being one, the bay area around San Fran (more around San Mateo and outside the city of San Fran, but that area), LA, and also Salt Lake City, UT (Utah used to have the most Islanders of all US states a number of years ago, not in small part because of the large number of Islanders who are Mormon). There's even some small city in Texas, whose name escapes me right now, that has a really high count of Tongans, which kind of seems random, but there it is. Islanders tend to keep very close-knit families, are more likely to live together longer, and just stay around each other taking care of each other a lot and families will have other family members move into the same area, potentially in the same house to immigrate here. There are dedicated Samoan and Tongan (I'm not sure about Hawaiian) churches in West Seattle and South Seattle that are 99% Samoan and Tongan, respectively.

On the large number of Islanders dropping out of college according to UW that one person mentioned, it may be happening, but still, it is good to see a larger number of Islanders attending the UW. I went to school there and have seen many more since graduating and they've also have now the Pacific Island Student Commission and groups for Islanders.

Really, it's about sticking together. Plus, on the east coast, I've actually encountered a lot of people before that had no clue what Samoa or Tonga were or what being Samoan or Tongan meant. Weird.

Answer 4

There are large communities of Polynesians all over the west coast. This comes from a lack of jobs on the islands and the desire to move away from home and see the world. There is no special history or reason for them to be in Seattle more or less than any other location. In fact, the largest community of them is in Southern California by a wide margin.

Answer 5

Polynesian Restaurant Seattle

Answer 6

Many schools want to hire very good football players' parents for jobs in Seattle.

Answer 7

Well they are closer to the west coast than anywhere else..plus im sure they move from California, where its ridiculously expensive...