Coronado was founded in the 19th century and still today maintains the small town charm of days gone by.

Coronado Island, which is actually a peninsula to the west of San Diego forming San Diego Bay, began its modern existence as a safe haven for whalers and later as a hunting and fishing getaway for the small town of San Diego. In 1885, Elisha Babcock Jr. and H.L. Story, two Midwesterners that had moved to California, and their partners, purchased the island for $110,000 forming the Coronado Beach Company. Babcock and Story had spent much time on the island, which then consisted of only barren sagebrush landscape, on hunting trips, but they had a grand vision of what Coronado could become. They hired James and Watson Reid to design a majestic resort for the island and laid the foundation for a community, constructing a water and irrigation system, establishing a ferry route and building a railway system as well as building one of California's first power plants, which provided electricity to the entire island until 1922.

On July 4, 1886, Babcock and Story hosted a picnic celebration to introduce Coronado to the public, a grand tradition that continues today. In November of that year the team made a sales pitch, a chance to invest in the new community. Lots were sold at prices ranging from $500 to $1600 for lots with ocean views. Within the day they had sold enough lots to finance the construction of their grand resort, the Hotel del Coronado.

In 1887, they broke ground on the new construction. Laborers were brought in from all over the state to work on the building, which reached ten stories high. The hotel, which cost $1 million dollars to build and decorate, opened in February of 1888. The Victorian Queen Anne revival style combined turrets, towers and dormers in a unique asymmetrical design. One of the amazing feats of architecture was the Crown Room with its hand-fitted sugar pine ceilings that were constructed without using a single nail. To this day, it is one of the largest pillar free rooms in the United States. By 1888, Coronado had developed into a small community with a school and several athletic clubs.

With the economic slowdown in the late 1800s, Babcock and Story were struggling to keep the hotel afloat. John D. Spreckels, a sugar mogul from the San Francisco area, provided generous loans to Babcock and Story, and eventually bought them out entirely. In the early 1900s, Spreckels opened Tent City, a makeshift resort city for visitors, with swimming facilities, carnival booths, a ferris wheel and much more. Spreckels would eventually give Coronado its library, several parks and its largest commercial building.

After the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco, Spreckels relocated his entire family to Coronado, building his dream mansion on five acres of land overlooking the Hotel del Coronado. His mansion, designed in the classic Italian Renaissance style, featured a brass cage elevator, marble floors and staircase, an elegant music room and some of the island's most incredible gardens. He made a name for himself in San Diego building a streetcar system, publishing two newspapers, developing the real estate market and running a water company. He also brought worldwide acclaim to the Hotel del Coronado and sold North Island to the U.S. government who would eventually establish a military presence on Coronado. After his death in 1926, the hotel fell into disrepair. And, after changing hands several times and undergoing a large addition, the Spreckels mansion changed hands to the current owners who began a major modernization and historical renovation process and turned the mansion into the hotel, as it is known today, the Glorietta Bay Inn.

The Great Depression and World War II brought additional hardship to the Hotel del Coronado as well, and in 1948 the Spreckels family sold the hotel. In 1969, the Coronado Bridge was opened, connecting the island to the mainland on a much faster and easier route than the peninsula.

M. Larry Lawrence bought the Hotel Del Coronado in 1963 and performed major renovations including the addition of the Grande Hall, the Ocean Towers and the California Cabanas. He secured National Historic Landmark status for the hotel and hosted its centennial celebration in 1988. In 1997, the hotel was sold to Lowe Enterprises who performed an additional $55 million restoration project in 2000.

Many of Coronado's beloved traditions, such as the Horse Show, the Flower Show and the famed aviation experiments on North Island, which include the departure of Charles Lindbergh in 1927, have their roots in the early 20 th century. Today Coronado is known for its family atmosphere and historical charm. Spectacular flower gardens and parks dot the island and Coronado's beach has been ranked 2 nd best in the nation by the Travel Channel. The Hotel del Coronado, the Glorietta Bay Inn and the many historical buildings that dot Coronado's main boulevard all lend themselves to maintaining the rich history and enchanting atmosphere that draws so many people to Coronado every year.

For more information on Coronado's history, contact the Coronado Historical Association in the Coronado Visitor Center at 1100 Orange Avenue. Or, take the Coronado Walking Tour, a 90-minute walking tour that reviews Coronado's history, departing from Glorietta Bay Inn on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 11:00 a.m.