This Memorial Day Weekend, one of the nation's best beaches is within reach.
Coronado Beach was ranked as one of America's top beaches in a list released by The Weather Channel Friday. The popular San Diego beach was also named runner-up in this year's best beach list created by a Florida professor nicknamed "Dr. Beach."
The Weather Channel's list was derived from online voting with Coronado receiving 29 percent of the vote in the West Coast category.
Sarasota's Siesta Beach was listed as the top beach in the nation Friday in the survey released by Florida International University professor Steven Leatherman.
While we're not questioning the beauty of Leatherman's top choice, we do find it suspicious that it's located in Florida's southwest Gulf coast. (We kid.)
"The sand is like sugar," said Leatherman, director of FIU's Laboratory for Coastal Research. "Some people can't believe it. You have to bring sunglasses because it's so bright. It's super soft, super fine. They claim to have the finest, whitest sand in the world, and I can't argue with that."
Leatherman ranks beaches on 50 criteria, including the look and feel of the sand, water quality, weather, facilities and crowds. A top score is 250.
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Rounding out the top 10 were No. 3, Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii; No. 4, Main Beach, East Hampton, N.Y.; No. 5, Cape Hatteras in North Carolina; No. 6, St. George Island State Park, Florida Panhandle; No. 7, Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, S.C.; No. 8, Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Mass.; No. 9, Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii, and No. 10, Cape Florida State Park near Miami.
