Miramar is a plateau in the northern part of the city of San Diego, California, USA. Newspaper publisher Edward Scripps is credited with naming Miramar in 1890. Loosely translated from Spanish it means "a view of the sea".
The area is dominated by the United States Marine Corps MCAS Miramar (formerly Miramar Naval Air Station). This was the site of the real Top Gun made famous by Tom Cruise in 1986. NAS Miramar was closed by the Base Re-alignment and Closure program, then re-opened as a fixed wing and helicopter base for the Marines in the 1990s. To the north of MCAS Miramar is the suburb Mira Mesa.
The land on which MCAS Miramar sits has been eyed by the city of San Diego for years as a possible replacement to San Diego International Airport, but the location in the southwest corner of the United States makes it a very significant location for national defense purposes also. As urban encroachment continues there is a good likelihood that the base will eventually be closed. Much of the land encompassed by MCAS Miramar is dotted with vernal pools. This land is protected because of the endangered species present in and around the pools.
Interstate 15 merges with California State Highway 163 and crosses California State Highway 52 in Miramar, creating one of the worst traffic bottlenecks in the county. I-15 was named the Semper Fi Freeway through MCAS Miramar early in 2004.
