Coronado Island: Star Park, the "Wizard of Oz" home, and more!

One of the great tourist traps in San Diego County is Coronado Island, although technically it's a peninsula.

One of the great little museums to visit in Coronado is the Coronado Historical Association Museum of History and Art at 1100 Orange Avenue.

They have three galleries, of which one has rotating exhibits. One of the recent exhibits was about L. Frank Baum (1856-1919), the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Frank Baum was born in Chittenango, New York, and oftened wintered in the San Diego area, usually in Coronado and La Jolla. He owned a home in Coronado overlooking Star Park:

Back in 1886 when Star Park was dedicated, the star you see in the picture were flowers. In the park, you can find several memorials, including the Star Park dedication:

The house that Frank Baum owned in Coronado, on Star Park Circle, is this one:

It's a private residence, which appeared to have quite a lot of deferred maintenance, unfortunately. While it doesn't look like anything other than an ordinary house, homes on Coronado Island are anything other than ordinarily priced. Most homes, even the smallest bungalows, have high prices.

For example, here are some small homes currently for sale in the 92118 zip code:

1. 710 3rd Street, 1 br/1 ba, 720 sf, $544,800
2. 376 H Avenue, 2 br/1 ba, 920 sf, $699,800
3. 330 I Avenue, 2 br/1 ba, 972 sf, $899,000
4. 755 D Avenue, 2 br/1 ba, 982 sf, $1,245,000
5. 611 5th Street, 3 br/2 ba, 1,046 sf, $1,095,000

Of course, Coronado has its share of mansions currently for sale, too:

1. 527 Ocean Boulevard, 6 br/8 ba, 7,237 sf, $10,500,000
2. 1127 F Avenue, 7 br/10 ba, 8,000 sf, $12,500,000
3. 401 1st Street, 4 br/4 ba, 4,520 sf, $12,900,000
   (bay view of downtown San Diego)
4. 1063 Ocean Boulevard, 4 br/5 ba, 6,315 sf, $14,300,000
5. 709 & 711 1st Street, 6 br/11 ba, 7,228 sf, $22,000,000
   (bay view of downtown San Diego)

Coronado Island is also the home of the Naval Air Station North Island, so you'll often see aircraft carriers, helicopters, and fighter jets. The USS Nimitz and the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carriers currently make their home at NAS North Island.

On the other side of the Island is the Hotel del Coronado, commonly listed as one of the Top 10 resorts in the world and claimed to be the most expensive piece of real estate in the United States, having sold for something like $384 million back in 2003.

Frank Baum spent many a day at the Hotel del Coronado and wrote some of his works here. The hotel has been featured in many films, most notably the 1959 film Some Like It Hot, starring Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, and Tony Curtis.  

If you'd like to visit a Coronado Island home,
or need help buying or selling a home anywhere in San Diego County,
please feel free to call me.

Please let your cat play with the other ActiveRain kitties by clicking here.

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If you're looking for a great San Diego Realtor, well,
let me Google one for you.

I'm available 24/7, so feel free to contact me by phone or email.

Jim Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award Mission Valley
California DRE License #01458572
619-729-5701
jimfrimmer@century21award.com
Mission Valley Condos Information

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