Now Machanao is no longer a village, but a section of Dededo. Most of Machanao became Andersen Air Force Base and Naval Communications Station. During the Early American period, the northern half of present-day Dededo was the village of Machanao. The history of Dededo is complicated, due to the fact that the boundaries of the village have changed considerably during the 20th century. Most of this area has been declared a national wildlife refuge.

The other beach is in the area known as Ritidian. There one will find the beach park that shares its space with an island power plant. One is Tanguisson Beach, with its beautiful rock formations, in a secluded area located at the bottom of a narrow winding road. The village has two beaches off its shores. There are several schools throughout the village, a soccer field, a waste transfer station, and a golf course. Further into Ysengsong are several other sections and newer housing developments. This area was built after the 1962 devastation of Typhoon Karen as a housing area for displaced residents. Past this area is the section of Kaiser, another housing development, situated along either side of Ysengsong Road. Other families throughout the island also moved into Dededo after the war. This is not the original center of the village, which prior to World War II was located along today’s Route 16, but after the war several Dededo residents relocated further north after the US military used their land to build an airfield, in present-day Harmon Industrial Park. The whole area fronts the highly-commuted Route 1.īehind the park is the area known as “Dededo Village.” It is the village square, where the mayor’s office, community center, public library and Santa Barbara Catholic Church and school are located. The concrete skate park sits on land it shares with Lencho Park. Near the Santa Barbara Catholic Church area is the Dededo Skate Park, a newer community installment with several obstacles, including cement ramps, hand rails, steps, and a bowl for skaters. Some homes expanded vertically while others grew horizontally utilizing the majority of space of the mostly quarter-acre property lots. Over the years, renovations were made to the original square design of several of the residences. The cement homes are built close together and were all of the same design. Past the mall, going north there are several housing developments on either side of Route 1 built in the mid-1960s and throughout the 1970s. Along Fatima Road, off the highway, there are several vegetable stands selling local crop products. Also along this strip is a two-story McDonald’s restaurant, and the gated Iglesia Ni Cristo Church. Along Route 16, there are several small stores and other businesses that cater to the area’s Filipino residents. The village is home to the Micronesia Mall, the largest shopping mall in the region, located at the corner of Route 1 and Route 16 (Army Corps Drive). From a small pre-war farming community, Dededo has become a major commercial and residential center. The main sections of this northern village lie on either side of Route 1, officially known as Marine Corps Drive, Guam’s main thoroughfare. Most of Dededo is located on Guam’s limestone plateau and sits above the Northern Aquifer, an important fresh water resource for the island as it provides for about 80 percent of Guam’s drinking water. Village descriptionĭededo is Guam’s second largest and most populous village, encompassing thirty square miles of northwestern Guam. Melissa Benavente Savares is the mayor of Dededo and Peter JS Benavente is the vice mayor.

Another possibility is that the word “dededo” is a version of the word “ dedeggo,” which means “heel of the foot,” or that it comes from the word “ deggo” which means to “walk on tiptoes.” PopulationĪccording to the 2010 US Census, Dededo has a population of 44,943. The Spanish word for finger is “ dedo.” It can be theorized that someone measured out the original village this way.

The origin of the village name Dededo, Dedidu in CHamoru, may come from the practice of measuring using fingers.

Power utility guam dededo