Beach goers are seen on the Coronado Beach in Coronado, Calif., May 22, 2012. The Coronado Beach heads this year's list of Top 10 Beaches produced annually by coastal expert Stephen P. Leatherman, also known as "Dr. Beach," director of Florida International University's Laboratory for Coastal Research.

(CBS/AP) Like a Hollywood star, Coronado's 1.5 mile-long beach literally sparkles, thanks to the mineral mica glinting in its sand. That's one of the reasons why Coronado flanked by the iconic hotel featured in Marilyn Monroe's 1958 film "Some Like It Hot" has been named the No. 1 beach in the United States in the 2012 survey by professor Stephen P. Leatherman of Florida International University.

It is the first time "Dr. Beach" has given the top slot to California in the more than two decades that he has been ranking beaches in the United States based on their environmental quality and safety for swimmers.

Coronado Beach, on a peninsula across the bay from San Diego, has near-perfect Mediterranean weather and a postcard backdrop.

"I think it's one of the most super beaches around," said Leatherman, director of FIU's Laboratory for Coastal Research.

Click through this gallery to see other beaches on the Top 10 list.

California's chilly coastal waters have cost its pristine beaches points when they've been up against balmy contenders in Florida and Hawaii in the past. Coronado Beach was runner-up last year to Florida's Siesta Beach. Once a beach tops Leatherman's list, it is retired from consideration for future rankings.

A child chases a sea gull on the Coronado Beach in Coronado, Calif., May 22, 2012. Coronado Beach tops the 2012 list of Top 10 Beaches produced annually by coastal expert Stephen P. Leatherman, also known as "Dr. Beach," director of Florida International University's Laboratory for Coastal Research.

Leatherman said Coronado is great for skim boarding (gliding on the water with a small, finless surfboard) and walking. The wide, flat beach is lined by majestic mansions and the Hotel del Coronado. Known as "Hotel Del," the National Historic Landmark with its peaked red roof was built in 1888 and is the last of California's Victorian seaside resorts.

Coronado is also the name of the swanky-yet-quaint city on a peninsula populated by Navy officers and some of California's wealthiest. It can be reached by ferry boat for a few dollars from downtown San Diego.

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Calif.'s Coronado heads 2012 Top 10 beaches list