Once a flat, treeless landmass in the middle of the bay separating San Diego from the Pacific Ocean, Coronado was home to jackrabbits and quail and not much else. But things changed in 1886 when visionary investors from the Midwest saw the potential of this scrubby 'island' and purchased it for $110,000. Elisha Babcock and Hampton Story began to build a seaside resort community complete with a railroad line and a ferry to San Diego. After dividing lots, planting trees, and the construction of a water system and power plant, Babcock and Story held a land auction, with lots ranging in price from $500 to $1600. Their syndicate, the Coronado Beach Company, sold 350 lots and recouped their original investment. As sales continued, they eventually amassed a huge profit which would be used to build their dream resort that they hoped would be the “talk of the Western world."

On January 12, 1887 the fast-track construction project began, with laborers working around the clock. The first official guests checked in a year later. Built entirely of wood and completed at a cost of $1 million, the Hotel del Coronado is one of the last remaining Victorian seaside resorts, designed in the Queen Anne Revival style with its whimsical turrets and asymmetrical design.

When the economy took a downturn right after the hotel opened, sugar magnate John D. Spreckels entered the picture. He fell in love with "The Del" and would become sole proprietor by 1892. He built a grand mansion across the street on Glorietta Boulevard and established an alternative resort called Tent City down the strand. Located on hotel property just south of the resort, Tent City appealed to America's emerging middle class who couldn't afford to stay at the hotel. Vacationers flocked to the make-shift city of 1,000 tents where they could enjoy bathing facilities, carnival booths, a Ferris wheel and a dance pavilion. Unlike the hotel's 'season,' which attracted visitors from cold climates in the winter, Tent City drew a summer crowd from hot inland California and Arizona - a pattern that is still in evidence today. Tent City flourished until 1939.

Spreckels sold 'North Island' to the US government in 1917 where the US Army, Marines, and now the Navy have made it home. North Island was the site for the first seaplane flight, the first mid-air refueling and the first non-stop transcontinental flight. Charles Lindbergh flew from North Island on the first leg of his celebrated New York to Paris flight in 1927.

The relaxed Coronado way of life changed forever in 1969 when the bridge to San Diego opened and replaced the automobile ferries - despite protests from many residents. Coronado's first traffic signals were installed in order to cope with the influx of thousands of vehicles per day. But since Coronado's inception the community has had a careful approach to planned development, assuring that the quality of both the residential lifestyle and the business community remains vibrant today.

For more information about Coronado's rich heritage, visit the Coronado Historical Association and the Museum of History and Art at 1100 Orange Avenue in Coronado.