Manhattan Beach
How Manhattan Beach Got Its Name
As the story is usually told, Manhattan Beach was named by a coin toss. Around 1902, two landowners disagreed about what to call the place. George Peck favored Shore Acres, and Stewart Merrill wanted Manhattan, after his old home in New York. Merrill won the toss, and the city incorporated under that name in 1912. Its concrete pier opened in 1920, with the Roundhouse added at the end soon after, and it is still the center of town.
The city is also known for its beach volleyball. The Manhattan Beach Open has been played next to the pier since 1960, and the winners’ names are set in bronze plaques along the pier itself.
The Four Sections
Ask someone from Manhattan Beach where they live and the answer is usually a section. This may confuse you if you expected a street. Residents and agents use four sections. And, they differ enough that it helps to know each one before looking at prices.
The Sand Section runs along the ocean, west of Valley Drive and Ardmore Avenue. Lots are narrow, houses are built close together, and many of them front onto walk streets, the pedestrian-only paths that lead down to the Strand. Land here generally costs more per square foot than anywhere else in town.
Inland and to the north, the Tree Section has leafier streets and larger lots, and it draws many families with school-age children. The Hill Section rises south of Manhattan Beach Boulevard. It’s far enough above the water that many homes have ocean views. East of Sepulveda Boulevard, the streets look more like a traditional suburb, with bigger yards and some of the city’s lower prices, which is a relative term in East Manhattan Beach.
Because the sections differ this much, a citywide median price tells a seller very little. A useful comparison comes from recent sales in the same section, and often on the same kind of street.
Manhattan Beach Schools
Manhattan Beach Unified School District is a main reason families buy here. Niche currently gives the district an A+, and students move from their neighborhood elementary school to Manhattan Beach Middle School and then Mira Costa High School.
Getting Around Manhattan Beach
Near the beach, Highland Avenue and Manhattan Avenue carry most of the local traffic. Plenty of residents leave the car at home and walk or bike the Strand. Sepulveda Boulevard and Rosecrans Avenue lead out to the 405, and LAX is about 15 minutes away (depending on traffic and time of day). For regional rail connections, the nearby Metro K Line can be reached at Douglas Station in El Segundo. The line serves the LAX/Metro Transit Center, where riders can connect to airport service, while Redondo Beach Station provides another K Line access point farther south.
Parks and the Dune
Away from the sand, the best-known spot is Sand Dune Park. That’s where a steep dune of roughly 100 feet became such a popular workout that the City now requires reservations to climb it. Polliwog Park has a pond, playgrounds, and free summer concerts. Also, the Veterans Parkway greenbelt gives walkers and runners a shaded path through the middle of town. Typically held the first weekend of October, the Hometown Fair takes over Live Oak Park.
Selling in Manhattan Beach
A large share of what a buyer pays for in Manhattan Beach is the land. That shapes how an older home should be sold. The same house can attract a family who plans to live in it as well as a builder who plans to replace it. Those two buyers will arrive at very different numbers. Lot size, the type of street, and what the coastal rules allow on the site all help determine which buyer will pay more. We work that out before settling on a price or a marketing plan.
Two of our articles are useful background for sellers in this price range: Here’s What You Need to Know About Selling Your Luxury Home in Los Angeles and Pricing Mistakes to Avoid When Selling Your Home. Longtime owners who are thinking about a smaller place can also read Ready to Downsize? Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Do It Alone.
Buyers can search for a listing to see current availability. Those relocating from the Westside may also want to look at Westchester, a few miles north.
Manhattan Beach with Martin Feinberg
Martin Feinberg has represented sellers on the Westside and in the South Bay for decades. If you are considering a sale in Manhattan Beach, reach out and our team will show you what homes like yours have sold for in your section and what we would expect yours to bring.
Check out properties I’ve sold in this neighborhood. If you’re interested in buying or selling a property in the neighborhood, call me at 310.729.6573 or scroll down to schedule a meeting.