Fijian Americans

Fijian Americans are Americans of Fijian origin. Fijian Americans are considered Pacific Islanders in the United States Census. There are 32,304 Fijian Americans living in the U.S. as of 2010, with 75% of them living in the state of California alone.^[2]

History

Fijians began to migrate in small numbers to the United States in the early 1950s. It was not until 1959 that Fijians began to emigrate in large numbers. In 1959, 71 people arrived, and later in 1968, the United States accepted 368 more Fijians. Since then the number of Fijian immigrants admitted to the United States has ranged from hundreds to a few thousand people each year.

During the 1970s and 1980s, the number of Fijians emigrating legally to the United States rose significantly. In the 1970s, the number increased between 1976 and 1979, rising from 132 to about 1,500 people. In the 1980s, the number rose from 712 people in 1983 to more than 1,200 people in 1987.

Later, in 1996, 1,847 more Fijians arrived in the US and, in 1997, 1,549 Fijians arrived with legal status.^[3]

Demographics

There are 32,304 Fijian Americans in the United States according to the 2010 US Census. California has the largest population of people of Fijian descent, enumerating 19,355 residents (0.06% of the state's population). The largest Fijian communities are in Sacramento County, Sonoma County, and Alameda County. There is a sizable community of Fijian Americans in Modesto (0.6%; 1,109 residents).^[2] These communities consists basically in Fijians of Indian descent.

Fijian Americans have several association, including the Fiji American National Association, FANA in Hayward, California,^[4] and the Fiji American Welfare Association.^[5]

Notable people

• 
  Jimmy Snuka
• 
  Tamina Snuka
• 
  Hodgy Beats
• 
  Vijay Singh

References