The riding is named after former Social Credit Premier Ernest Manning, who held office from 1943 to 1968.

The electoral district was created in the 1993 boundary redistribution when Edmonton-Belmont was merged with a portion of Edmonton-Beverly.

The first was a minor revision that pushed the south boundary north to 144 Avenue to give some land to Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview.

That election saw incumbent Edmonton-Belmont NDP MLA Tom Sigurdson run for a third term in office.

The vote was designed to educate students and simulate the electoral process for persons who have not yet reached the legal majority.