Alao is a village on the narrow east coast of Tutuila Island, American Samoa. It is located close to the island's easternmost point, just to the north of Aunu'u Island. Alao is home to white sand beaches, and is one of the oldest settlements in all of American Samoa.Goodwin, Bill (2006). Frommer’s South Pacific. Wiley. Page 401. . It is located in Vaifanua County, American Samoa.Tu’u’u, Misilugi Tulifau Tofaeono (2002). History of Samoa Islands: Supremacy & Legacy of the Malietoa (na Fa'alogo i Ai Samoa). Tuga'ula Publication. Page 427. .Krämer, Augustin (2000). The Samoa Islands. University of Hawaii Press. Page 424. .
The village gained international attention in 2005 when the village council moved to ban Asian-owned businesses within village boundaries. Its ranking chief, Sogimaletavai Leo, told reporters that the village wanted to protect small Samoan-owned businesses. He also explained that it has been an increased number of Asian-owned stores popping up in neighboring villages on the island's east end.
Olomoana Hill behind Alao is one of very few places in Tutuila where trachyte occurs.Whistler, W. Arthur (2002). The Samoan Rainforest: A Guide to the Vegetation of the Samoan Archipelago. Isle Botanica. Page 98. .
A chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is located in town.
History In the late 19th century, the village of Alao became the first foothold for the LDS Church on Tutuila Island.Sunia, Fofō Iosefa Fiti (2001). Puputoa: Host of Heroes - A record of the history makers in the First Century of American Samoa, 1900-2000. Suva, Fiji: Oceania Printers. Pages 87-88.
In 1929, author Aletta Lewis (1904-1955) spent six months in the Samoan Islands and lived for a time with families in Alao. In her travelogue They Call Them Savages (1938), she recalls Alao and its people with warmth, stressing the “good feeling” she found in Samoan life and culture.Hughes, H.G.A. (1997). Samoa: American Samoa, Western Samoa, Samoans Abroad. World Bibliographical Series: Volume 196. Page 7. ISBN 1-85109-253-6.
Demographics Population growth 2020 275 2010 495 2000 528 1990 463 1980 274 1970 390 1960 386 1950 324 1940 195 1930 138
Geography Alao is situated near the southeastern tip of Tutuila Island, where the hamlet of Utumea is located.Krämer, Augustin (2000). The Samoa Islands. University of Hawaii Press. Page 432. . There is a white sand beach that stretches the whole length of the village of Alao.Clayville, Melinda (2021). Explore American Samoa: The Complete Guide to Tutuila, Aunu'u, and Manu'a Islands. Page 49.
Notable people Jack Thompson, entrepreneur.Sutter, Frederic Koehler (1989). The Samoans: A Global Family. University of Hawai'i Press. Page 191.
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