From the early 1900s, Watsonville filled with over a thousand Japanese immigrants who thrived in the fields and orchards of Santa Cruz county. The close-knit community swelled with over 300 residential listings and 80 businesses and community organizations by 1941. With the closing of Yagi Bait & Tackle and Oda's Barber Shop in the early 2000s, the few remnants of pre-war businesses are gone. Yet a steadfast community core remained to celebrate the centennial of the Buddhist Church in 2006 and 75th Anniversary of the JACL in 2009.