The growth in the number of Latino immigrants began to stall in 2008. Since then, Asians have been the single largest group of new immigrants arriving in the U.S. The Census Bureau now projects the Hispanic immigrant population to grow by 57% from 2015 to 2050.
World War II and Camp Tarawa. World War II changed everything. The war brought the military to the pastures outside of Waimea. Military facilities and homes were built. A huge tent city, called Camp Tarawa, was constructed on Parker Ranch land. Farmers settled in the area and began growing diversified crops to sell to the military or ship to Hilo for the War effort.
In 1939 only 75 acres in the Waimea area were devoted to agriculture. By the war's end that had increased to 518 acres. During the war an airstrip was constructed which later was to become Waimea Kohala Airport, The town's first entertainment hall and sports center was built. As detailed by Gordon Bryson in his Waimea Gazette article Waimea Remembers Camp Tarawa : Waimea leapt into the twentieth century because of the technology and plenty that seemed to have followed the Marines into town.