Little Manila - Definition and Overview

Little Manila (also known as Manilatowns or Filipinotowns) is a community with a large Filipino expatriate and descendant population.

California

There are several Little Manilas in California, including major ones in Daly City near San Francisco and in Carson and West Covina near Los Angeles. In major cities, only San Francisco's South of Market and Excelsior districts contain a significant enough Filipino presence to be considered a latter-day Little Manilas.

Historic Little Manilas exist in Los Angeles and Stockton, California. The San Francisco Manilatown slowly disappeared during the 1960s and the 1970s, until all that was left was the International Hotel, which was the focus of a protracted struggle over tenants' rights and ended with a mass eviction by police in 1977. The International Hotel was demolished in 1981.