[2] It is located 3.25 miles (5.2 km) north of downtown Eureka,[5] at an elevation of 13 feet (4 m).

The town was founded at the end of World War II, and named after Manila in the Philippines.

[7] The house was originally built in 1985 as a retirement home of a couple whose heirs sold a large part of their property and the house to Manila-based Friends of the Dunes to use as a nature center on the dunes in 2007.

150 households (40.8%) were made up of individuals, and 28 (7.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Federally, it is in California's 2nd congressional district, represented by Democrat Jared Huffman[12] since 2013.