Coral Gables, Fla. William Jennings Bryan, the orator who once ran for president, hawked real estate lots here in the 1920s at this city's famous Venetian Pool, a onetime rock quarry turned Italian-style public pool.

Guests as diverse as Al Capone, the Duke of Windsor and Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower stayed in the tower suite of the landmark Biltmore Hotel. During Prohibition, boats smuggled booze from the Bahamas to homes fronting Coral Gables canals.

That's some of the history that gives this affluent suburb of Miami a special panache. But Coral Gables doesn't bask in the glories and foibles of yesteryear.

Today, this city is not simply a bedroom community. It plays a major business role in the area. Del Monte has a presence here, and Bacardi will move its headquarters to town next year, joining 175 other multinational companies with regional headquarters in Coral Gables.

It's the home of the University of Miami. And though its population is only about 41,000, the city also is home to 14 foreign consulates and more than 140 restaurants featuring cuisines ranging from French and Spanish to Peruvian and Nicaraguan. Tony boutiques dot the palm-lined four blocks of downtown's Miracle Mile.

Most of all, Coral Gables is a community of upscale homes whose residents cherish its beauty. Zoning regulations are stiff houses must have tile roofs, you cannot keep a truck, recreational vehicle or boat trailer in a driveway, you can paint your house only in approved colors and you need a permit to cut down a tree. Business areas are segregated from residential.

Coral Gables police, fire and waste collection services are excellent, and the city's strict regulations keep the value of homes high. It would be difficult to find a residence here that sells for less than $600,000, and many are priced in the millions.

All of this gives the city a definite sense of identity.

"You feel you know where you are," says Mayor Don Slesnick. "I grew up in Miami, and I can feel the difference as soon as I cross the line [into Coral Gables]."

Known as the City Beautiful, Coral Gables was among the nation's first planned cities. In the 1920s, founder George Merrick envisioned a city within a park, so most residential streets have pink sidewalks and a grassy swale planted with oaks, palms, banyans and other trees.

The city also ranks high on Greater Miami's list of tourist attractions. Bus tours regularly swing through the Gables, showing off its mostly Mediterranean architecture, rock-walled city entrances, impressive Spanish-style City Hall, the historic Venetian Pool and a real oddity a faux lighthouse six miles from the sea.

The most famous landmark, though, is the Biltmore Hotel, built in the 1920s. Its 315-foot tower, a replica of Seville's Giralda Tower, is the highest point in the city and will remain so by law. The Biltmore has an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts and a hotel pool bigger than two Olympic-size pools.

Coral Gables also is home to several preserves. Matheson Hammock Park has a swimming lagoon, a marina and forest trails. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden's collection of palms and cycads is world-renowned, and the Montgomery Botanical Center has extensive collections for research.