Coordinates: 33°53′20″N 118°24′19″W / 33.88889°N 118.40528°W / 33.88889; -118.40528
Manhattan Beach is a city located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, USA. The population was 33,852 at the 2000 census. The city is on the Pacific Ocean coast, to the south of El Segundo, and to the north of Hermosa Beach. Manhattan Beach is the home of volleyball and surfing. During the winter the waves can reach to about 9 to 12 feet. To the east are the cities of Hawthorne and Redondo Beach. It is one of the three Beach Cities in the South Bay. The city is a very upscale beach town within commuting distance of Los Angeles, making it one of the most expensive coastal towns in which to live in America, according to the most recent Fortune Magazine rankings. The town regularly smashes Los Angeles County real estate sales records, with the median price of a single family dwelling with an ocean view approaching 2.1 million dollars.
History
Early history
The early history of Manhattan Beach is explained on the website of the Manhattan Beach Historical Society. The Beach volleyball tournament The Manhattan Beach Open has been referred to as "The Wimbledon of Beach Volleyball" The tournament began in 1960. Winners of the tournament are awarded a bronze plaques on the Manhattan Beach Pier's "Beach Volleyball Walk Of Fame".
Early development
In 1863, a Scottish immigrant, Sir Robert Burnett, purchased Rancho Sausal Redondo and Rancho Aguaje de la Centinela from Avila's heirs for $33,000. Ten years later in 1873, Burnett leased the ranch to a Canadian, Daniel Freeman, and returned to Scotland. Freeman moved his wife and three children onto the ranch and started growing various crops. On May 4 , 1885 Freeman bought the ranch from Burnett for $140,000.
George H. Peck owned a lot of the land that became part of the north section of Manhattan Beach.
Around 1924, the largely African-American population of the Bruce's Beach subdivision was forcibly evicted through a series of racist eminent domain laws enacted by the city council.
Bernard Bruce, a Black businessman from Los Angeles, founded a small beach resort where Black individuals could enjoy the sunny Southern California lifestyle along with neighboring European-Americans.
Several Ku Klux Klan members were reported to have engaged in discriminatory acts against him and other beachgoers, such as shouting racial slurs and littering deliberately on the designated section of the beach reserved for Blacks.
Although Manhattan Beach today is relatively homogeneous (see demographics below) compared to other wealthy California suburbs, a recreational park has been built in honor of the Bruce's and every Mayor since that period has sponsored awareness campaigns and education in local schools about the areas past. Manhattan Beach also elected Mitchell Ward, an African-American, as mayor in the 1990s, negating persistent racial stereotypes about the town inland. Ward was supported by a large coalition of citizens of all races and reelected in accordance with term limits.
Geography
The city has a total area of 26.8 km² (10.4 mi²), which includes 10.2 km² (3.9 mi²) as land and 16.7 km² (6.4 mi²) (62.07%) as water.
Manhattan Beach features 2.1 miles (3.4 km) of ocean frontage, 40 acres (162,000 m²) of recreational beach, and a total of 59 acres (239,000 m²) of parkland in 10 parks, 1 municipal golf course, and 1 parkway, the Valley/Ardmore "Greenbelt".
Neighborhoods
Residents divide the city into several distinct neighborhoods, including the Village, Sand Section, Hill Section, Tree Section, Gas Lamp Section, Manhattan Heights, East Manhattan Beach, Liberty Village, and North Manhattan Beach (formally known as El Porto until December 2007).
The Hill Section includes higher priced homes where many of the residences are remodeled and situated on steep hills allowing panoramic ocean and city views. The nearby Sand Section is notable for its pockets of quiet neighborhoods adjacent to the ocean, dense development and higher rate of condominiums and multi-family properties compared to more suburban areas of the city. Most commercial activity whose clientele are beach-oriented position their establishments here, sometimes within meters of private homes. One of its most highly trafficked pedestrian streets, The Strand, features high-end Oceanfront homes. Desired by families for its close knit structure and with a substantially healthy financial background, the Tree Section is essentially a smaller Hill Section, minus the hills, of course, and with slightly smaller lots and narrower streets. Liberty Village is located at the north-easternmost section of Manhattan Beach; it is undergoing rapid change as the original World War II era housing for the employees of the then dominant local defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Hughes is replaced by new, larger homes.
Commercial Zones
Considered to be among the most desirable cities in Los Angeles, city zoning provides for lenient dwelling-to-land coverage and much of Manhattan Beach's housing stock has been remodeled from small single family houses into larger houses ranging to 4,000 square feet (400 m 2 ) on lots approximating 5,000 square feet (500 m 2 ). This "mansionization" of the city has been protested by several longtime neighborhood residents. Tiny beach cottages are being replaced by 6,000 square foot modern homes. This is especially evident in the quaint alleyways and walk streets of the Sand Section, where dense living is already a contentious issue in the public eye.
Downtown
Downtown Manhattan Beach runs along Manhattan Beach Boulevard and the streets perpendicular to it in the area near the Manhattan Beach Pier up to Valley Drive. There are many restaurants and stores and a mixed-use center, called Metlox, named after a pottery factory formerly on the site, that includes a boutique hotel and several restaurants and shops. The Manhattan Beach Library is near downtown on Highland Avenue two blocks north of Manhattan Beach Boulevard. The library is part of the County of Los Angeles Public Library system, and includes internet accessible computers, WiFi, and access to the six million items in the county library collection.
Rosecrans Strip
The Rosecrans strip is located on the south side of Rosecrans Avenue, east of Sepulveda, and west of Aviation. The area includes the Manhattan Mall, which is located on the southeast corner of Sepulveda Boulevard and Rosecrans Avenue. The Manhattan Beach Country Club, the Marriott Hotel and Golf Course, restaurants, retail stores, supermarkets, and shopping centers are along the strip between the Manhattan Mall and Aviation Boulevard.
Marine Strip
The Marine strip is located on both sides of Marine Avenue, near Sepulveda and Aviation Boulevards.
Manhattan Beach Boulevard Strip
The Manhattan Beach Boulevard strip is located on both sides of Manhattan Beach Boulevard through the city.
Artesia Strip
The Artesia Boulevard strip is the southern boundary of the city.
Highland Strip
The Highland Avenue strip is located south of Rosecrans Avenue, north of 10th Street, along both sides of Highland Avenue.
Sepulveda Strip
The Sepulveda Strip occupies the commercial zone, which runs north-south through the city. This commercial zone is located south of Rosecrans Avenue, north of the border with Hermosa Beach, and along both sides of Sepulveda Boulevard. The Manhattan Mall is located on the southeast corner of Sepulveda Boulevard and Rosecrans Avenue. In addition, there are several other, smaller malls and shopping areas along Sepulveda Boulevard, which include a variety of restaurants, shops, service providers, office buildings and other commercial establishments.
Aviation Zone
The Aviation Zone is located along Aviation Boulevard (the city's eastern boundary), south of Rosecrans Avenue, and north of Marine Avenue. The zone includes several major complexes, including the Manhattan Beach Film Studios and the Northrop Grumman Space Technology Plant.
Climate
Manhattan Beach has a Mediterranean climate or Dry-Summer Subtropical (Köppen climate classification Csb on the coast, Csa inland), enjoying plenty of sunshine throughout the year, with an average of 263 sunshine days and only 35 days with measurable precipitation annually.
The period o
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