Foreigners now make up a substantial proportion[clarification needed] of the town's inhabitants and are attracted to Coín because it is only 25 minutes from the beaches of Málaga and Marbella, including the 50 km stretch of coastline in between which includes the popular resorts of Torremolinos, Fuengirola and Benalmádena.

In 929 the area was caught up in the Muladí (Christian convert to Islam) rebellion which was led by Omar Ben Hafsun against the Emirate of Cordoba.

Abderraman III, the first Caliph of Cordoba, fortified Coin, improving its defences to stave off the attacks of the muladí rebel.

[2] The economy was traditionally agriculture, coexisting with marble mining (since Roman times) and ceramics.

For many years, Coín was the setting for several series, first the British Eldorado for the BBC, and after that the Andalusian serials "Plaza Alta" and "Arrayan", both recorded in Loasur studios produced by Linze TV, and shown by Canal Sur.