10 Interesting Facts You May Not Know About Manhattan Beach, CA

Manhattan Beach, CA is one of the most beautiful and iconic coastal cities in Southern California. Affluent city is one of the most expensive towns in California and USA. While it attracts slightly older crowds as residents compared to its neighbor Hermosa Beach, you would possibly see the wildest 4th of July High School gatherings here that you have never seen before:

10 lesser-known interesting facts about Manhattan Beach, CA

1. Manhattan Beach was once a major center for the development of volleyball, with the first-ever professional volleyball game played on its sands in the 1920s.
2. The iconic Manhattan Beach Pier is the oldest concrete pier in California, built in 1927, and it has withstood numerous storms and even a near-destruction during WWII.
3. Manhattan Beach was originally named “Bay City,” but was renamed after Manhattan, New York, in the early 1900s to attract east coast settlers and investors.
4. The city has some of the most expensive real estate in the U.S., with beachfront properties regularly selling for tens of millions of dollars, making it a hotspot for the wealthy.
5. Manhattan Beach’s “The Strand” is a famous coastal path, stretching over 22 miles from Malibu to the south, attracting bikers, joggers, and surfers from around the world.
6. In the 1920s, Manhattan Beach was a thriving resort town, featuring grand hotels, jazz clubs, and even a scenic railway that brought tourists from Los Angeles.
7. The city is known for its rich surfing culture, and the first-ever surfboard made of foam (rather than wood) was tested here in the 1950s, revolutionizing the sport.
8. Manhattan Beach is home to some famous hidden bunkers, remnants of World War II coastal defenses that were built along the coastline to guard against Japanese attacks.
9. The Manhattan Beach Pier is rumored to have a “haunted” reputation, with stories of eerie lights and strange sounds reported by visitors over the years.
10. The city’s sand is artificially replenished, with millions of cubic yards of sand being added periodically to prevent erosion and maintain its pristine beaches.