We are loving this blog post from Carrie Keyes, who wrote “Fun Facts About Coronado: Paradise City” that was posted on the Union-Tribune’s website. Here’s the whole post. Enjoy!

“There is an old, old…legend, that Point Loma, on the southwest corner of the United States, is the oldest part of the Earth, and that Coronado Beach, protected by its sheltering arms…was given the first selection of all good things intended for the world.” (1902 booklet published by Hotel Del Coronado, reprinted in Coronado: The Enchanted Island.)

Do you know Coronado? Really know it? Some do; many don’t. For those of you who don’t know me yet, I’m sort of like Carrie Bradshaw’s dorky left coast cousin. I happen to love my city, and I’ve got a few paper-thin pairs of rubber flip flops to prove it.

Coronado is truly a crown jewel. Where else can you sit at a “beach entry” rec center pool and watch Navy SEALS leap from helicopters? Paddleboard to a friend’s house? Where else do teens play sand volleyball in the high school quad and ask for keys to the golf cart instead of the car? Where else can you hop the water taxi to get to Petco Park? Where else does a high school football team play their first two away games in Maui and Laguna Beach? Dude.

For those of you from other parts of our marbled globe, Coronado is a beach town connected to beautiful San Diego by a sparkling Silver Strand and a blue ribbon of a bridge. It’s a unique island destination infused with vibrant Mexican influence, distinguished military personnel, salty beach culture, a touch of Hollywood glamour and dimensional local history. Coronado is linked to L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz and Marilyn Monroe’s Some Like it Hot. Charlie Chaplin once lived here and played polo, and Orville Redenbacher lived (and died) here, too.

A modern day Mayberry, walk around and you’ll see seniors lawn bowling in crisp white clothing and children licking ice cream cones in passing red wagons. Here, tree lined streets are sprinkled with varied historic homes, from Spanish Revival to Dutch Colonial to California Craftsman to Victorian to Tudor. Our town offers thousands of visitors memories of an endless summer from one of America’s best beaches.

But wait! Here are some other interesting facts about Coronado you might not know:
•Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots lived here.
•There once was an ostrich farm in the heart of the village.
•At night and/or in the early morning hours, I occasionally hear the mock gunfire of Navy SEALS in BUDS training, the bellow of the cruise ship horns and the murmur of the Santa Fe train depot. It depends on the prevailing winds and the time of year. But did you know that many years ago Coronado “flats” residents could hear the lions roar at the San Diego Zoo?
•The island is crawling with distinguished Special Forces,Pentagon and–I suspect–Langley peeps. Totally rad.
•Our mayor Casey Tanaka, an energetic thirty-something, is also our high school history teacher. But did you know Oscar Goodman lives in Coronado? He’s the mayor of Las Vegas!
•Local Steve Wampler, along with the backing of our community and Hollywood funny people Will Forte, Ellen Degeneres, and Will Ferrell, is vying to be the first person with Cerebral Palsy to climb Yosemite’s El Capitan next month. Rock on, Steve!
•Locals hang at island “secret spots” that the general public doesn’t know about. I would not have any friends if I revealed them. Locals also have a few secrets. I’m not going there, either.
•CindyMcCainoccasionally tweets from her vacation home on Coronado Beach.
•I know people (not me!) who leave for Hawaii and don’t lock their doors. Then again, unfamiliar faces are easily noted here. And when you’re living next door to the likes of those mentioned in the fourth bullet point, your neighbors have gotcha covered in a big way. Most importantly, our police station is within seconds of our houses. And there are only two ways out of Coronado. Aloha.
•When the President or V.P.visits, the motorcade and security detail make an excellent excuse NOT to go to the grocery store. Thanks, Mr. President.

I believe Coronado was given the first selection for all good things in the world. It’s Paradise City, a haven that snuggles San Diego’s beautiful bayside metropolis with distinct charm.

Now speaking of snuggling, please excuse me while I flip over on my beach blanket. The back of my legs are getting pink, and nobody likes a sunburned blogger. I’ll see you next week after my kids get back in school. They’re gripping sand buckets at the moment, but soon they’ll be gripping pencils for six hours a day, allowing me the time to pencil in paradise with you again. I hope you’ll be back to join me.

Thanks Carrie Keyes for writing such a cool post! See the original post and pictures here.