When newspaperman E. W. Scripps bought the land now called Miramar around 1890, he was often criticized for developing in a desert so far from everything. Over the years, Scripps created an intricate road system to San Diego and Escondido and built his home in today's Scripps Ranch.  He called it Miramar after a famous palace in Trieste.  Today, Miramar rests firmly in the center of San Diego County and is home to a busy U.S.Marine Corps Air Station and a thriving commercial district.

MCAS Miramar was until fairly recently U.S. Naval Air Station Miramar well-known for its Top Gun school and the movie of the same name.  When the Navy moved the school to Nevada, the Marines moved their helicopters and jets from El Toro MCAS in Orange County.