Satala, American Samoa

Satala
Village
Country United States
Territory American Samoa
CountyMaoputasi
Area
 • Total0.15 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation
125 ft (38 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total218
 • Density1,924.2/sq mi (742.9/km2)
Time zoneUTC−11 (Samoa Time Zone)
ZIP code
96799
Area code+1 684

Satala is one of Pago Pago’s constituent villages[1] and is located in Pago Pago Bay on Tutuila Island. Satala is in Maoputasi County in the Eastern District of the island. It is home to the historic Satala Cemetery, which is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, and the government-owned Ronald Reagan Marina Railway Shipyard.[2]

It is also the location of the Satala Power Plant on the northwest coast of Pago Pago Harbor, which previously generated all of the power for Tutuila Island. It is located directly across the street from the coast. American Samoa Power Authority, which operates the ASPA Satala Power Plant, is a non-profit semi-autonomous government agency.[3] The power plant itself is a 13,215-square-foot (1,227.7 m2) structure on Satala's shoreline. It was the primary power source for the shipyard, the industrial areas on the waterfront, and the power grid on the eastern end of Tutuila. After the 2009 tsunami, sea-water entered the building and eventually submerged it and all its equipment in saltwater. The power capacity was lost as a consequence of the damages.[4]

Satala was the location of BFK, Inc. and where they constructed the Kneubuhl Warehouse near the docks, in order to offload cargo as the sole agent for Matson Shipping Lines. In the 1960s, it became the site of the Pacifica Foods processing plant.[5] Paradise Pizza is a restaurant in Satala, located on the opposite side of the road from StarKist Tuna. It serves American-style pizzas with Samoan pork, taro, tuna, as well as standard ingredients.[6][7]

As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Satala was home to 61 housing units and 297 residents, up from 162 residents as of 1950.[8]

  1. ^ Cruise Travel Vol. 2, No. 1 (July 1980). Lakeside Publishing Co. Page 60. ISSN 0199-5111.
  2. ^ "Shipyard Authority proposes budget of $2.03 Million for FY2014". 15 August 2013.
  3. ^ http://www.epa.as.gov/sites/default/files/documents/brownfields/aspa_satala_power_plantoct.11.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  4. ^ Jadacki, Matt (2011). American Samoa 2009 Earthquake and Tsunami: After-Action Report. DIANE Publishing. Page 13. ISBN 9781437942835.
  5. ^ https://benandlena.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/satala-intro-0516.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  6. ^ Rawlings-Way, Charles (2016). Lonely Planet South Pacific. Lonely Planet Publications. Page 306. ISBN 9781786572189.
  7. ^ Atkinson, Brett (2016). Lonely Planet Rarotonga, Samoa & Tonga. Lonely Planet Publications. Page 154. ISBN 9781786572172.
  8. ^ https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2010/cph-t/t-8tables/table1b.pdf [bare URL PDF]