Friday, March 1, 2019

Have You Heard of Manila, California or Arkansas?

Manila, California
I believe a majority of Filipinos or Filipino-Americans have never heard of the two towns above. I did not know about these two towns until just recently, when one of my friends in the Philippines mentioned that he has a relative in Manila, California. So I went to Google and here's what I found.

Manila, California is a census-designated place in Humboldt County. It is located 3.25 miles (5.2 km) north of downtown Eureka, at an elevation of 13 feet (4 m). The ZIP Code is 95521. The population was 784 at the 2010 census. The town was founded at the end of World War II, and named after Manila in the Philippines.

The 2010 United States Census reported that Manila had a population of 784. The racial makeup of Manila was 686 White, 14 African American, 25 Native American, 5 Asian, 12 from other races, and 42 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 30 persons.

Manila, Arkansas

There is another town called Manila in Arkansas. The original name of this town was "Cindy". There was a WWII war hero who hailed from the town of Cindy. He was serving in Manila, Philippines when he won a purple heart and saved his whole platoon. His town, Cindy, was so proud of him they renamed the city after the city in which he became a war hero, Manila, Philippines. There is also a life-sized statue of him on the corner of the highway and the business district that happens to be the smallest state park in the State of Arkansas. The population was 3,055 at the 2000 census. It was the hometown of World War I sniper Herman Davis. A park in the town honors his memory today. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.4 km²), all of it land.

Interesting indeed!

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