Manhattan Beach is a coastal city in the southwestern region of the county of Los Angeles in California, USA. It is among the three South Bay beach cities and lies on the Pacific coast between Hermosa Beach in the South and El Segundo in the North.
Geography
The city lies on ground that was once mostly exposed sand dunes and most of the western region remains quite hilly due to the underlying sand dunes. Most of the sand dunes are today covered by streets and tall buildings with only the Sand Dune Park remaining visible. The city is divided into a number of distinctive neighborhoods, namely:
- East Manhattan Beach
- El Porto
- Gas Lamp
- Liberty Village
- Manhattan Heights
- Poet’s Section
- Sand Section
- The Village
- Tree Section
Other noteworthy areas include Downtown Manhattan Beach, Rosecrans Strip, The Strand, Sepulveda Strip, and Aviation Strip.
Hazards
The Manhattan Beach Hazard Mitigation Plan of 2008 analyzed some hazards that may be encountered within the city and how to tackle them. Below is a brief description of some of the evaluated hazards and the probability of their occurrence and the city’s capability to respond to them.
- Urban fire Unlikely
- Hazardous material Unlikely
- Terrorism Unlikely
- Riots Unlikely
- Windstorm Unlikely
- Drought Unlikely
- Radon Low probability
- Tsunami Low probability
- Landslide Low probability
- Flood Moderate probability
- Earthquake Moderate probability
Demographics
Manhattan Beach’s population stands at slightly more than 35,000 according to the 2010 official United States Census. The city is populated mostly by residents of Caucasian descent who make up 87% of the total number. Asian and Hispanics form 6% and 5% of the population respectively while African-Americans form 1%. Other races form the remaining 1%. About 24% of the population is under the age of 18, 5% between 18 and 24 years of age, 27% were aged between 25 and 44 years, 30% between 45 and 64 years, and 12% were older than 64 years of age.
Real Estate
Due to its proximity to Hollywood and the Los Angeles downtown area, Manhattan Beach is a popular, sophisticated, and exclusive residential city for top athletes and entertainers. Among the famous personalities who own homes in the city are Shaquille O’Neal, Tiger Woods, Maria Sharapova, Landon Donovan, Lisa Leslie, and Kerri Walsh. Of course, this means the costs of real estate in the city cannot be cheap. Of the city’s current homes, about 4% are vacant, 34% are rented out, while 63% are occupied by the owners.
Manhattan Beach is one of the most expensive places in the world today. Homes that have a beachfront view typically cost upwards of $5 million. A half-acre piece of land in the Bel Air area costs upwards of $20 million, while the same acreage in the Strand area costs not less than $35 million.
Manhattan Beach Pier
The scenic Manhattan Beach pier located at the end of the Manhattan Beach Boulevard is 928 feet long and offers year-round pier fishing for free. Also free is the Roundhouse Marine Studies Lab and Aquarium located at the pier’s end. The Aquarium’s attractions include a shark tank, a touch tank which houses various tide pool animals, and lobster tanks. It remains open to the public daily with weekday openings at 3 p.m. and weekends from 10 p.m. Closing times are sunset every day.
Summary
Manhattan Beach City in California is a generally exclusive city built on sand dunes. The city has many exciting attractions which include a 9-hole public golf course, concerts at Polliwog Park, The Holiday Fireworks Festival, The Old Hometown Fair, Beach Volleyball Tournaments, And the International Surf Festival. Manhattan Beach also offers a thrilling shopping experience with its top class malls and boutiques. A recent development is the construction of the 550,000 sq. ft. Manhattan Beach Studios now being leased for the T.V series “The Practice” by 20th Century Fox. Manhattan Beach is best with Manhattan Beach food and Manhattan Beach catering services.