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Cities such as this don't just appear -- yet, comparatively speaking, the history of Manhattan Beach covers a relatively short span. In its earliest days, Manhattan Beach was part of the ten-mile ocean frontage of Rancho Sausal Redondo, which means "Round Clump of Willows." At one time the area was called "Shore Acres" by George Peck, who owned a section of the north end of town.

In 1901, Stewart Merrill bought the south portion and called his section Manhattan after his old home, New York City. Peck and Merrill, unable to agree on a city name, flipped a coin and Manhattan won.

The first downtown building was built by Merrill around 1901, a small frame building later used for city offices. The official date of incorporation was December 7, 1912. Planks were laid in the sand on Manhattan Avenue for vehicles and along the Strand and side streets for pedestrians.

Two wooden piers were built in 1901, one at Center Street and one at Marine Avenue. The Center Street pier supported a wave motor to generate power for the Strand lighting system. Purportedly, part of the wave motor lies buried in the sands at the shore end of the present pier.

The next pier was built on the same site and extended about 922 feet into the ocean. Engineer A.L. Harris developed the concept of the circular end for less exposure and damage to the pilings by the waves. The pier was completed and dedicated on July 5, 1920.

After World War II a large influx of people came as a result of the desirability of the area for year-round living. Servicemen visiting during the war returned to live here. The development of the defense industry brought many people to the South Bay to reside and work. Much of the land east of Sepulveda was developed to house the influx of people.

For more information on the history of Manhattan Beach, contact the Manhattan Beach Historical Society.

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Physical Facts

Location:  19 miles southwest of Los Angeles on the southerly end of Santa Monica Bay
County:  Los Angeles
Airport:  3 miles south of Los Angeles International Airport
City Area:  3.88 square miles
Beach:  2.1 miles of beach front, 40 acres of recreational beach area in total
Pier:  Manhattan Beach has a scenic 928-foot-long pier at the end of Manhattan Beach Boulevard. Fishing is permitted all year
Parks:  There are 48 acres of major park land in Manhattan Beach, in addition to the 21 acre Manhattan Beach Parkway
Residential Area:  49.1%, or 1224 acres, of Manhattan Beach's city wide land area is residential
Paved Streets:  There are 120 miles of paved streets
Plumbing:  The City has 18 miles of storm drains and 110 miles of sewers
Elevation:  120 feet above sea level
Rainfall:  Average annual rainfall of 12.07 inches
Temperature:  Average temperature ranges from 70º F in
summer to 55º F in winter

Population Facts:
Population:  Population according to 2000 census is 33,852
Gender:  50.4% male and 49.6% female
Households:  The City has 14,474 households
Schools:  Includes 3,511 elementary students and 1,384 high school students (more)

 (See also Demographics)

Economic Facts:
Taxes:  The City has no tax rate
Assessed Value:  Manhattan Beach's assessed valuation is $3.8 billion
Businesses:  As of June 1996, Manhattan Beach had issued 4718 current business licenses
Income:  The median household income for the City is $68,589

City Government Facts:
Government:  Manhattan Beach is a General Law city, operating under the council-manager form of government
City Council:  The Manhattan Beach City Council is comprised of five (5) members, each serving a nine (9) month mayoral position during their four (4) year term
Employees:  The City has 250 full time employees and 131 part time employees
 

Manhattan Beach, houses for sale, luxury condominiums, vacation homes

Demographic Profile

• Population
• Housing
• Income/ Employment

Background

This demographic profile was prepared by the Community Development Department of the City of Manhattan Beach. The information contained in the report was taken from the 2000 Census of Housing and Population Estimates prepared by the State Department of Finance, and from the City of Manhattan Beach Housing Element. Estimates for 1994 are provided where available.

Population

A. Total Population

The 2000 Census indicated Manhattan Beach had a total population of 33,852. This represents an increase of 5.28% from the 1990 population of 32,063.

Table 1 lists the population since 1950 and indicates the percent change for each interval:

Manhattan Beach Population Growth

Table 1 (Source: 2000 Census)

B. Gender

The Manhattan Beach population in 2000 was 50.4% male (17,052), and 49.6% female(16,800).

C. Race/Ethnicity

Table 2 shows the racial/ethnic breakdown for Manhattan Beach according to the 2000 census.

2000 Race/Ethnicity (% of Total Population)
 

Table 2 (Source: 2000 Census)

* Percentages may not total 100% due to respondents categorizing themselves as more then one ethnicity

D. Age

The median age in Manhattan Beach for 2000 was 37.7 years. The largest segment of the population was between the ages of 25 to 54 which totaled 18,135, representing approximately 53.6% of the total population. This age group has consistently been the largest segment of the Manhattan Beach population over the last thirty years.

The age group from 19 to 24 has decreased from 3,391 in 1970 to 1,052 in 2000 representing a decrease of approximately 69%. The population over the age of 65 has increased by 1,852 persons since 1970, an increase of approximately 53%. Table 3 shows the changes in population by age from 1970 to 2000.

1970 to 2000 Population by Age

Table 3 (Source: 2000 Census)

E. Households

In 2000 there were a total of 14,474 households. Of this total, 58% (8,392) were family households, and 42% (6,082) were non-family households. The average household size was 2.34. Table 4 shows the number of households by type.

Households by Type
 

Table 4 (Source 2000 Census)

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Housing

A. Homelessness

Based on official sources, there are relatively few homeless people in the city of Manhattan Beach. Social Service agencies, as of 1992, were not aware of any homeless individuals within the City. The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) estimates (1992) that there is one homeless person residing within Manhattan Beach. Due to the transient nature of the homeless population, exact numbers are difficult to obtain.

B. Total Units

2000 Census data indicate that there are a total of 15,034 housing units within the City.

C. Vacant Housing

Based on 2000 Census data 14,474 of the total housing units in the City were occupied. The City has a vacancy rate of 3.7% (560 units) compared with a vacancy rate of 4.78% in 1990.

D. Owner Occupied Housing

The number of owner-occupied housing units in 2000 totaled 9,420. Renter occupied housing totaled 5,054 or 34.92%

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Income/Employment

A. Per Capita Income

The information on income levels is provided by the 1990 Census on Housing and Population and is based upon a sample conducted in 1989. As of 1989, the City of Manhattan Beach had a median household income of $67,723, as compared to the Los Angeles County median of $30,489. The per capita income for Manhattan Beach in 1989 was $39,932. Table 11 shows the per capita income level for South Bay cities (1990).

1990 - Per Capita Income by City

Table 5 (Source: South Bay Cities Association, September 1993)

B. Education

In 1990, of the persons 25 years of age and over (24,220), 84.5% have attended college. Of this group approximately 10% have received Associate Degrees, 41% have received Bachelor's Degrees, and 26% have received graduate or postgraduate degrees.

C. Employment Characteristics

In 1989 the City had a total of 27,400 persons over the age of 16, and 20,935 of these individuals were in the labor force. Approximately 76% of the total population over the age of 16 were employed in 1989. 83% of males (11,667) in this age group were in the labor force, and 69.5% of the females (9,268) were in the labor force. Unemployment among males was 2.6%, for females this percentage was 2.1%. Table 12 shows occupation categories and the number of employed persons in each.

1990 - Occupation

Table 12 (Source: 1990 Census)

Here is current information on how to contact over 100 local organizations where you may get help or be of service to your community. The listing is indexed to make it easy to find the organization that fits your needs. Includes external links to an organization's World Wide Web site where available. 

• Child and Teen Related Organizations
• Civic Organizations
• Cultural Organizations
• Health Related Organizations
• Interest Groups
• Senior Related Organizations
• Service Organizations
• Other Organizations
• City Of Manhattan Beach
• Manhattan House Of Detention
• Doubletree Guest House Manhattan
• Haunted House In Manhattan
• Manhattan Beach Music
• Manhattan Beach California
• Manhattan Beach Restaurants
• Manhattan Beach Marriott