Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Manchester’s typical journey to work is 13 minutes, where California’s towns sit at 28 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Only 5 of the 847 California towns we compare have a lower midsummer high than Manchester. 15% of the land in Manchester is conserved, where California’s towns sit at 4.3% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Point Arena Light Station and Manchester Schoolhouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. Manchester has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Manchester beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1906 and 3 maps from 1943 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Manchester takes its name from Manchester in Greater Manchester, England, 5,160 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionManchester, settled in 1871, takes its name from Manchester, a city in Greater Manchester, England.
9 more U.S. towns are named after Manchester:Manchester, CT59,773Manchester Township, NJ46,556Manchester, MO18,069Manchester, TN13,776Manchester, WA5,956+4 more
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Manchester is unincorporated, so Mendocino County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Manchester.
Its one school is below. The public schools here belong to the Manchester Union Elementary school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 34 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts
52% of Manchester’s expected losses from natural hazards come from earthquakes, followed by inland flooding at 35%. Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 83% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Manchester after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2023.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In Manchester, the January low is 43°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In 3 parks and preserves, walkers have 1.1 miles of trail. The biggest park or preserve is Manchester State Park, at 242 acres. The town’s trail network density stands at 0.4 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Manchester State Park | — | 242 |
| 2. Lake Davis Wetlands and Coastal Dunes Natural Preserve | — | 239 |
| 3. Brush Creek/Lagoon Lake Wetlands and Coastal Dunes Natural Preserve | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The town does better than the California average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 5. 27% of Manchester adults have obesity. In Manchester, three quarters of adults had a checkup this year, and 36% have high blood pressure.
| Manchester | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 29% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 72% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 31% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Manchester | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.4% | 17.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.8% | 14.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.7% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Manchester; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Manchester residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Census-designated place in California, United States
Manchester is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California, United States. It is located 5 miles (8 km) north of Point Arena at an elevation of 85 feet (26 m). The population was 159 at the 2020 census, down from 195 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Manchester has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
