[7][8] Coronado is a tied island which is connected to the mainland by a tombolo (a sandy isthmus) called Silver Strand.

Along the coast of Southern California lie four islands that were spotted by Sebastian Vizcaino and his crew.

[10] Three ships of the United States Navy have been named after the city, including USS Coronado.

The community's first post office predates Coronado's incorporation, established on February 8, 1887, with Norbert Moser assigned as the first postmaster.

In 1900, a tourist/vacation area just south of Hotel del Coronado was established by John D. Spreckels and named Tent City.

[13] What is now the Naval Air Station North Island was the first US flying school, founded in 1911 by Glenn Curtiss.

Coronado's weather and protected bay were attractive and he gained a three-year lease to train military pilots.

[15] On New Year's Day 1937, during the Great Depression, the gambling ship SS Monte Carlo, known for "drinks, dice, and dolls", was shipwrecked on the beach about a quarter mile (400 m) south of Hotel del Coronado.

[17][18] In 1969, the San Diego–Coronado Bridge was opened, allowing much faster transit between the cities than bay ferries or driving via State Route 75 along the Silver Strand.

The bridge is made up of five lanes, one of which is controlled by a moveable barrier that allows for better traffic flow during rush hours.

Geographically, Coronado is a tied island connected to the mainland by a tombolo known as the Silver Strand.

Since recorded history, Coronado was mostly separated from North Island by a shallow inlet of water called the Spanish Bight.

The development of North Island by the United States Navy prior to and during World War II led to the filling of the bight by July 1944, combining the land areas into a single body.

On the southern side of the town is Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, a training center for Navy SEALs and Special warfare combatant-craft crewmen (SWCC).

Coronado has increased in size due to dredge material being dumped on its shoreline and through the natural accumulation of sand.

However the city has been trending Democratic in recent years, with each of the last four Republican presidential candidates receiving less than 60% of the vote.

[50] The downtown district along Orange Avenue, with its many shops, restaurants and theaters, is also a key part of the local economy.

Its guests have included American presidents George H. W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Gerald Ford, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and William Howard Taft, as well as Muhammad Ali, Jack Dempsey, Thomas Edison, Magic Johnson, Charles Lindbergh, Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, Oprah Winfrey, and Robert Downey.

"The Del" has appeared in numerous works of popular culture and was said to have inspired the Emerald City in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

It is rumored that the city's main street, Orange Avenue, was Baum's inspiration for the yellow brick road.

[62] A film called Carbon featuring Whitney Wegman-Wood and Randy Davison was shot in Coronado near the restaurant Nado Republic.