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Beautiful Beaches, Historical Homes and a World-Famous Hotel

History: The city grew up around the Hotel del Coronado, which opened in February 1888, less than three years after developers bought the land. Well-heeled visitors flocked to the hotel, and those with less means took up residence in Tent City, a makeshift summer community that operated from 1900 to 1939. Coronado is also known as a Navy town with the adjacent North Island Naval Air Station. It was here that aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss experimented with seaplanes and opened a flight school for the U.S. military, earning North Island the title of “Birthplace of Naval Aviation.”

How it got its name: The “island” was originally called Peninsula de San Diego by the Spanish. Elisha Babcock and company held a naming contest after they bought the land. The winner, Miramar, was deemed too foreign, so the developers looked to the nearby Coronado Islands for a name. Spanish explorer Sebastian Vizcaino’s priest named those islands for Christian martyrs. Its nickname is Crown City.

Landmarks: While the Del is the crown jewel of the Crown City, Coronado’s beaches consistently rate among the top 10 in the nation. The Coronado Ferry makes for a nice ride to downtown San Diego.

Notable locals: “The Wizard of Oz” author L. Frank Baum wrote several sequels to his famous book while wintering here. And popcorn king Orville Redenbacher spent his final years in Coronado.

Things to do: In 1936 the S.S. Monte Carlo, an infamous gambling ship, crashed into the Coronado shoreline. The hull has been rotting away all this time, but depending on the tide and the time of year, you can see and explore the remains. Some people even say you can find leftover hidden treasure!
Coronado