City of Manhattan Beach

The City of Manhattan Beach is actually very tiny - under 4 square miles. We go there to spend time on Manhattan Beach and of course the Manhattan Pier. The actual city has some unique draws worth visiting too.

The town is a great place to call home is you are looking for an upscale beach town atmosphere. It really doesn't have the same old school beachy vibe as some of the other beach towns do, it is much more refined. Think more high end, luxury shops and less "So and So's Surf Shack" type places. For me, this is a downer, but for others, a Beverly Hills next to the beach is a dream come true.

You'll see some of the highest real estate prices here - the median house price with a view is around 2 million. And the house you'll get for it will be medium to tiny with no yard. Of course why do you need a yard when your front yard is 40 acres of beach?

There are a lot of families here, and this is one area where I often see 9 year olds hanging out or walking around shops all by themselves and with friends. It is a very rare thing to trust your neighborhood that much, and the city of Manhattan Beach is generally a very safe place to live.

The streets are narrow, the parking is scarce and the houses are stacked one next to the other in most neighborhoods. However, the public schools are fantastic and knowing you don't have to pay for private schooling (like several areas in Los Angeles) makes the higher prices not look quite so high.

Polliwog park is my favorite thing about the City of Manhattan Beach. At the corner of Redondo Ave and Manhattan Beach Blvd, it is 18 acres and has a large pond in it. You'll see all kinds of birds as well as some smaller critters (turtles, opossum, raccoon) if you are lucky. There is a rose garden, botanical garden and play structures (one for toddlers) too. They even have a disc golf course or known in the midwest as "frisbee golf" but if you are from the midwest you'll be dissappointed in it, it is pretty out in the open, no meandering woods paths like you are used to. They also have concerts in the park where all the area residents gather for a picnic and music. Kids bring bread to feed ducks. So lovely. As far as Los Angeles parks go, this one is one of my all time favorites.

I just can't resist mentioning some of the "not so proud" history of the area, especially since I am a history geek and feel that history of a place really sheds light on what it is or isn't today. Part of the area was called Bruce's Beach and was predominatly African American. To make a long story short, in the 1920s, city government and residents pretty much kicked out all the African Americans through some racist "eminent domain" laws they conveinently put in place. Ku Klux Klan members were active in the area, putting trash on the beach and other things I'm sure you can imagine.

Today, the area is still very predominately white, nearly 90%, which is much more homogeneous compared to other similar areas. Despite there now being park called "Bruce's Beach" and that the City of Manhattan Beach elected an African American as mayor (Mitchell Ward) in the 1990s, some outsiders still raise eyebrows about the area. Keep in mind that what went on in the 1920s was not unique to that area - things like that (and much, much worse) were happening elsewhere around the country. The city has made great effort to continue to teach about its history and sponsors awareness education in the schools.

On a tastier note, we always stop by Manhattan Beach Creamery when we head to the beach. No, it isn't old (was started in 2002) so like much of the area it lacks that old school vibe which LA is so great for but they make up for it in other ways. Their signature unique flavors are the cotton candy, nutella and root beer and they also have a seasonal favorite of mine - the "thin mint cookie" in March. And there is always a line out the door.