Prior to European settlement, Mira Mesa was inhabited by the
Kumeyaay peoples who lived along Penasquitos Creek. After
Mexican independence, the land became part of the
Rancho Santa Maria de Los Peñasquitos land grant to
Francisco María Ruiz in 1823. Around the time of
World War II the area now called Mira Mesa was used by the
United States Army as a test area. Just west of
U.S. Route 395 (now Interstate 15) was a
Navy auxiliary landing field, known locally as
Hourglass Field because the layout of the runways was a single piece of
asphalt in the shape of an hourglass. The Navy also used the surrounding area as a bombing range. Starting in 1969 there was a housing boom in the area that now extends from the I-15 freeway in the east to I-805 in the west and is approximately 10,500 acres (42 km2). This was one of the earliest areas of urban sprawl along the I-15 Corridor. Hourglass Field became the site of
San Diego Miramar College and Hourglass Field Community Park. The area was built so quickly that it lacked schools, shopping centers, or other services for its thousands of residents. In 1971
Pete Wilson started his political career running for mayor with the slogan "No more Mira Mesas!" as a promise to stop quick, unplanned growth in San Diego. Since its inception, Mira Mesa was largely influenced by the military located at the adjacent
NAS Miramar. Mira Mesa was the northernmost "real community" of San Diego, and was separated from the rest of the city by NAS Miramar for many years. By the late-1990s, the Mira Mesa area had undergone extensive expansion to accommodate the thousands of new residents attracted by its proximity to major employers like the
University of California, San Diego,
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar,
Qualcomm, and dozens of biotech and pharmaceutical companies. Several commercial and industrial centers have been built within the Mira Mesa area. Mira Mesa area has attracted a large Filipino and Vietnamese community. == Demographics ==