Manhattan Beach is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, on the Pacific coast of the South Bay, between El Segundo to the north and Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach to the south. The 2020 census counted 35,506 residents, and the city was incorporated in 1912. Though it is part of the greater Los Angeles metro, Manhattan Beach has long maintained a distinct, self-contained identity as an upscale beach town, defined less by freeways and office towers than by the ocean, the pier, and the sand. The city's landmarks tell its story. The Manhattan Beach Pier, built in 1920, stretches about 928 feet into the Pacific and is listed as a State Historical Landmark, recognized as the oldest concrete pier on the West Coast, with the Roundhouse Aquarium at its seaward end. Beach volleyball is central to local culture: the Manhattan Beach Open has been held every summer since 1960 and is considered the sport's signature event, with champions memorialized along the pier's Volleyball Walk of Fame. The Strand, the paved beachfront walkway and bike path, ties Manhattan Beach to the neighboring beach cities in a continuous coastal promenade. Residentially, the city is understood through its Sand, Tree, and Hill sections, which run from beachfront cottages and Strand-front homes through tree-lined inland streets to hillside estates with ocean views. Students attend the Manhattan Beach Unified School District, including Mira Costa High School, and the city sits just south of Los Angeles International Airport. Manhattan Beach suits those seeking a walkable, active, family-oriented beach community with top-tier schools and proximity to the Westside's employment centers.