Coronado, Spanish for "crowned one," was barren when it was purchased in 1886 by Midwest group investors to build a resort, and link it to a ferry and rail to San Diego.
Lots were divided and sold for $500 to $1,600 through the Coronado Beach Co.
The $1 million Victorian-designed Hotel del Coronado was built in 1887-88 overlooking the Pacific Ocean and later sold to sugar tycoon John Spreckels.
Middle-class vacationers could not afford the hotel, and tents were erected around the hotel, giving the community the informal name of "Tent City."
Coronado became a military town when the Army established a base in 1913, followed by the Navy, which developed the Naval Air Station North Island.
Coronado has evolved into one of the 20 most expensive cities to live in the United States. Home prices start at $1 million, with a median household income as of 2007 at $91,748.
