El Porto, Manhattan Beach, California facts for kids
El Porto is a cool beach community. It's located in the northern part of Manhattan Beach. This city is in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, Southern California.
El Porto stretches from 45th Street in the north. This is the border with El Segundo and its oil refinery. It goes down to 38th Street. The community also reaches from Crest Drive, near the refinery, all the way to El Porto State Beach and the Pacific Ocean.
The main street for shops and businesses in El Porto is Highland Avenue. North of 45th Street, this road changes names. It becomes Vista Del Mar Boulevard. This road follows the coast up to Playa del Rey.
Kids living in El Porto go to Grandview Elementary School. This school is part of the Manhattan Beach Unified School District. Police and fire services for the area come from the main city facilities.
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El Porto's History
El Porto has an interesting past. Let's explore how this beach community came to be.
How El Porto Started
El Porto was first planned out in 1911. A real estate developer named George H. Peck owned the land. He divided it into many different lots. There were 83 lots for businesses and 225 for homes. The land was sandy, with some large trees and great ocean views.
Peck made sure the new community had good features. It had concrete sidewalks and curbs. The streets were oiled to keep dust down. Plus, artesian water was piped right into the streets.
Street Names and Layout
The lots Peck created were 30 by 90 feet in size. Each lot was placed between a street and an alley. At first, the streets didn't have names. Later, numbers were given to the streets running east to west. The alleys were given names. For example, the alley between 39th and 40th Streets is called El Porto Street.
What Does "El Porto" Mean?
Many people think "El Porto" means "The Port" in Spanish. However, it's actually a misspelling. The correct Spanish word for port is "puerto." So, "El Porto" literally translates to "The I Carry."
Interestingly, "porto" is the Portuguese word for "port." But in Portuguese, the word for "the" is "O," not "El." This makes the name "El Porto" a unique mix. It seems to have influences from both Spanish and Portuguese.
Joining Manhattan Beach
For over 60 years, El Porto was a "county island." This means it was part of Los Angeles County but not officially part of any city. It was also part of the El Segundo Unified School District.
In November 1980, El Porto officially joined Manhattan Beach. This process is called "annexation." At that time, El Porto was about 34 acres (140,000 m2) in size. Around 1,185 people lived there. By joining Manhattan Beach, El Porto became a full part of the city.
