Manhattan beachAhhhh glorious Manhattan Beach! When the sun is out, andthe wind dies down, you can findeveryone in Los Angeles at this beach (it seems). The area surrounding the bay in Manhattan is called the Sand Section. As is typical with many beach cities, homes are small, tall and built to see a view of the water…at least that was the original intent.

The Manhattan Sand Section and El Porto are located just at the north end 42nd Street, to the west is the beach, to the south is 1st (Homer actually) and to the east is Valley/Ardmore and the chip path. This dividing line runs through Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach andseparates the sand section from other sections of both towns. It is a nice walking/jogging path maintained by the Cities of Manhattan and Hermosa.

Veterans Parkway - "Chip Path"
Veterans Parkway – “Chip Path”

The Homes

The sand section is also an area in transition. It is common to have a brand new home sitting next to a spanish cottage built in the 1930′s. Many of the older cottages are being or have been torn down by developers and typically replaced by two townhomeson the same lot. There are not a lot of condo developments that plague many other beach towns. Here you will findhouses from 700 square feet to over 6000 square feet. Pricing recently has ranged between $575,000 for a condo on a busy street to over $10,000,000 for a house on The Strand. The typical sand section newer townhomesells for around $1,500,000 to $2,000,000.
In some areas of town, you will see streets with no car access. These are called “Walk Streets”. In these neighborhoods, the houses face each other across a wide sidewalk. Their garages are entered through an alley street in the back.
El Porto Property
Walk Street

Walk Street

The homes on these streets are highly desireable. You really can’t get into one for much less than $2,000,000. That is a start. Many are much more pricey than this. Why? Because families like the idea that their children can play out front without a car driving by. This is a huge benefit. In fact, you’ll notice kids toys and bikes left out on these streets at all times.

The flip side of town is El Porto. Once on its own, now a part of Manhattan Beach proper. This is the most dense area of Manhattan Beach. Many homes sit on lots that are just over 1,100 square feet. This is a major surf locale. If you have been wanting to check it out, there’s a parking lot entered from 42nd Street.El Porto Property
Check on Surfline.com for your daily surf update on El Porto! The north end of Manhattan Beach also has many great restaurants, stores and bars to choose from. Some of my favorites are: North End Caffe, Panchos, Beach Hut and Upper Manhattan.
el-porto1

Once you get downtown there are also many great stores, restaurants and pubs. It’s not uncommon to run into a group of cruisers on a pub crawl any given weekend! may-2009-016

Manhattan Beach is the home of AVP! Manhattan Beach hosts the AVP Crocs Tour July 16-19 this year.

avp

There are many fine hotels around Manhattan Beach. Only a couple are downtown where you can walk straight down to the beach and get into the water within minutes of leaving your room. In North Manhattan you have the quaint Sea View Inn. Downtown you have the newly built boutique hotel called Shade. Both are lovely. They are very different types of hotels.

There is soooo much more to tell you about the Sand Section of Manhattan Beach. Events, news and homes for sale. Contact me direct and we can help you with your needs!