San Diego CVB

Coronado Beach in San Diego tops this year's list of best beaches, compiled annually by "Dr. Beach" Stephen Leatherman.

By Rob Lovitt, msnbc.com contributor

According to Stephen Leatherman, aka Dr. Beach, there are approximately 650 major public recreational beaches in the United States. Only one, though, can be No. 1.

What strand of sand earns that designation? This year, the honor goes to Coronado Beach near San Diego, which tops Leathermans 2012 annual list of the Top 10 Beaches in the country. Released on Friday, the full list includes:

The annual list, which Leatherman has compiled since 1991, is based on 50 criteria, ranging from natural conditions (sand softness, water temperature, wave size) to human-related factors (for example, noise, trash or public safety).

Stretching from the iconic Hotel del Coronado to Silver Strand State Beach, this years winner rose from second place in 2011 and third place in 2010.

Its flat and hundreds of yards wide so its great for walking and playing, said Leatherman, who has spent much of his career researching and monitoring beaches as director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University in Miami.

It has a fantastic Mediterranean climate. The water quality is excellent, and theres a great lifeguarding program so its safe for families, he told msnbc.com.

For Leatherman, the annual list is part of a lifelong passion for coastal environments, an interest that stretches from his childhood in Charlotte, N.C., where his parents built him a backyard sandbox, to the publication of his latest book, Field Guide to the Waters Edge (National Geographic Books, $21.95), earlier this month.

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Presenting: US's best beaches