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 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 , of which is land and 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 of 2010, there were 14,955 people, 3,298 households, and 2,891 families residing in the CDP. The population density was