Located very close to the city of Eureka in far North Coast of California, Manila California is a small unincorporated census-designated place, situated on the Samoa Peninsula. My wife, her mom, and I stopped by their community center and found it to be a quiet place to visit, with plenty of parking and easy access to the Pacific Ocean.
Manila, California was founded in the early 1900's, named after the capital of the Philippines. After the defeat of the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Manila (effectively ending the Spanish rule over its colony in 1898), up to 12 towns in the U.S. were named Manila. This community center was initially built in the 50's as an elementary school, and later converted into a center that now houses a Montessori school and Manila Community District. It has a large children's playground with jungle gyms and slides, plenty of car parking, accessible restrooms from the outside, along with an outdoor basketball court with two baskets. It is also close to the Manila Dunes Recreation Area, with sandy trails leading to the shoreline.
My wife noticed the street address of the center (1611), which has significance as the founding year of the first university in the Philippines (University of Santo Tomas). It's a special point of pride for my wife's mom, since that is her alma mater. read more