Coronado

Coronado is a resort city located in San Diego County, California, USA, across the San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Coronado is Spanish term for "crowned one," and thus it is nicknamed The Crown City. Its name is derived from the four off-shore islands, Los Guatro Martires Coronados (Spanish for "The Four Crowned Martyrs").

Geographically, Coronado is a peninsula and is connected to the mainland by a strip of land called the Silver Strand. The Silver Strand, Coronado and North Island, form San Diego Bay. Tourism is an essential component of Coronado's economy. This city is home to three major resorts (Hotel del Coronado, Coronado Island Marriott and Loews Coronado Bay Resort) as well as several other hotels and inns. The downtown district along Orange Avenue with its many shops, restaurants and theaters is also a key part of the local economy. Many of the restaurants are highly rated and provide a wide variety of cuisine choices. In 2008, the Travel Channel rated Coronado Beach as the sixth best beach in America.

Coronado is home to the famous Hotel del Coronado, built in 1888 and long considered one of the world's top resorts. It is listed as a National Historic Landmark and has hosted many notable guests. "The Del" has appeared in numerous works of popular culture and was supposedly the inspiration for the Emerald City in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It is rumoured that the city's main street, Orange Avenue, was Baum's inspiration for the yellow brick road.

source: wikipedia.org