About Wapato, WA
Wapato is a city in Yakima county, Washington. As of the 2000 consensus it has a population of 4,582. Wapato was once known as "Japanese Town" when all of the Japanese started to migrate from Hawaii during WWII. During this time, the city of Wapato was used as an internment camp to hold prisoners of war. The orchards and fields were tended to by these prisoners until the end of the war. At this time, there was a labor shortage that was gladly filled by the Hispanic people moving to the area from Mexico looking for work. To this day, Wapato produces the largest tonnage per acre of potatoes and apples to the state of Washington. Local businesses in the area include Amys Wapato Florist and Pettit Towing.
