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Manhattan Beach

Manhattan Beach History

   In the 1830s, the land near present-day Manhattan Beach was used for sheep and cattle raising. When the Santa Fe Railroad laid tracks through the area in 1888, developers flocked to the region. Landowner George Peck bought the north portion and named his new beachfront community Shore Acres. But when Stewart Merrill bought the south portion and named it Manhattan (after his hometown of New York City), the men agreed to flip a coin to decide the town's name. Merrill won, and the community eventually was renamed Manhattan Beach.
   Because Manhattan Beach is built upon sand, dunes were a major problem for early developers. The first downtown building was erected around 1901, and the city was incorporated in 1912. Around town, weekend cottages gave way to larger homes as visitors decided to live in the beach community year round. The population grew tremendously after World War II, when the defense industry brought many people to the area, and the city is now home to more than 33,000 people.
   Manhattan Beach's original iron pier was destroyed by a storm in 1913. The pier was replaced in 1920 -- this time, it was made of cement. After years of wear and tear, the pier was restored to its original 1920 appearance in the early 1990s, and it was declared a state historic landmark in 1995. Manhattan Beach is now home to the oldest standing cement pier on the West Coast.

Activities

   Manhattan Beach offers an array of restaurants, shops, boutiques and department stores. It is home to several cultural organizations, including the Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden, the Manhattan Beach Historical Society and Arts Manhattan.
   There are seven parks in the city, including the popular Polliwog Park, which holds Sunday afternoon concerts each summer and is year-round host to a "sunken galleon" for the kids. Along with surfing, swimming and beach volleyball, the city offers a private tennis club, a nine-hole public golf course, and plenty of areas for running and walking.

Manhattan Beach Fast Facts

   Location: Manhattan Beach is located between Santa Monica and Long Beach, about 20 miles from downtown Los Angeles
  *Total area: 10.36 square miles (3.93 square miles land area; 6.43 square miles water area)
  *Population: 33,852
  *Housing units: 15,034
   Average annual rainfall: 13.15 inches
   Average temperatures: 71º F in summer, 57º F in winter
*Information provided by 2000 Census

Schools

   There are several schools in Manhattan Beach, including:

• Grand View, Meadows Avenue, Pacific, Pennekamp and Robinson elementary schools
• Manhattan Beach Middle School
• Mira Costa High School
• El Camino College

Beaches

   Manhattan Beach runs parallel to The Strand. Amenities include swimming, surfing, a lifeguard tower, biking, boating, volleyball, dining, restrooms and parking. The beach is divided into several sections:

• Grand Avenue Beach: Foot of Grand Avenue
• El Porto: Foot of 45th Street
• Parque Culiacan: 26th Street and Manhattan Avenue
• Manhattan State Beach: West of Strand
• Manhattan Beach Municipal Pier: Foot of Manhattan Beach Boulevard

Real Estate

   There are a variety of designs in Manhattan Beach. These pictures give a few examples:

Maps of Manhattan Beach

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