Places Named After Francisco Vázquez de Coronado

Spanish explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado (1510–1554) led a 1540–1542 expedition through the present-day U.S. Southwest seeking the "Seven Cities of Gold." His name marks numerous locations:

• Coronado National Forest (AZ/NM) – 1.78M acres; spans Sky Islands mountain ranges.
• Coronado Island (San Diego, CA) – Actually a peninsula; named 1542 by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo.
• Coronado Heights (San Francisco, CA) – Hilltop neighborhood overlooking Golden Gate (named 1867).
• Coronado Street (Los Angeles, CA) – Historic thoroughfare (named 1890).
• Coronado Center (Albuquerque, NM) – Largest mall in New Mexico (opened 1965).
• Coronado, Kansas – Small town on the Santa Fe Trail.
• Coronado High Schools – In Lubbock (TX), Scottsdale (AZ), Colorado Springs (CO), El Paso (TX), Henderson (NV).
• Coronado Beach (Florida, California, etc.) – Multiple coastal sites.

These names reflect the enduring cultural footprint of Coronado's entrada, despite its failure to find gold.