Part of our Panama Tour guide to Coronado. Browse local businesses in Coronado on Coronado Digital Directory.
The history of Coronado, Panama, is the story of how an empty stretch of Pacific coastline in the district of Chame became the country’s original planned beach resort community and, eventually, one of Central America’s most established expat and retiree destinations. Understanding that history explains why Coronado feels so different from the fishing villages and newer developments that surround it along Panama Oeste.
How Coronado, Panama, became the first beach resort community
Coronado was conceived in the mid-twentieth century as a deliberate, master-planned retreat for Panama City families who wanted a weekend and holiday escape by the sea. Rather than growing organically like a traditional town, it was designed from the outset as a resort community, with residential lots, recreational facilities, and a resort at its heart. This planned origin is why, decades later, Coronado still has a coherent layout, mature landscaping, and an established infrastructure that newer coastal developments are only beginning to match.
The town’s signature salt-and-pepper beach, its wide streets, and its early emphasis on leisure and sport all trace back to this founding vision. What began as a getaway for the capital’s well-to-do gradually evolved, over the second half of the century, into a full-time community, and then into a magnet for international retirees drawn by Panama’s climate, stability, and use of the US dollar.
A home of Panamanian golf
No account of Coronado’s history is complete without its golf heritage. The community’s golf course, designed by American architect George Fazio, gave Coronado a genuine sporting pedigree and helped cement its reputation as a premier resort. Golf became woven into the town’s culture and social life, and the presence of a serious, well-designed championship course, unusual for a Panamanian beach town, reinforced Coronado’s status as a place built around recreation and an active lifestyle. To this day the course remains central to the community’s identity and one of its most enduring attractions.
From weekend retreat to expat hub
- Planned foundations. Coronado’s deliberate design left it with real infrastructure: roads, utilities, commercial services, and recreational amenities.
- Sport and leisure culture. Golf, horseback riding, tennis, and beach life were part of the community from early on, shaping its character.
- International reinvention. In recent decades, as Panama actively welcomed foreign retirees, Coronado’s ready-made amenities made it a natural first choice, and an English-speaking community grew alongside the Panamanian one.
Today’s Coronado still reflects every layer of this history. The commercial center along the Pan-American Highway serves both weekenders from Panama City and full-time residents; the beach that gave the town its name remains its soul; the golf course and equestrian tradition keep the original resort spirit alive; and the weekly marketplace shows how the community continues to reinvent itself around new arrivals.
For visitors and prospective residents, knowing this history changes how you see the town. Coronado is not an accidental beach settlement but a purpose-built community that has been welcoming leisure-seekers for generations, first Panamanians escaping the city, and now retirees from around the world. That long head start in infrastructure, sport, and community is exactly what makes Coronado feel so livable, and why its story is worth understanding before you explore its beaches, fairways, and markets.