Best Web Design in National City, CA (2026)

Web Design for National City, California

National City sits in the South Bay just south of downtown San Diego, the second-oldest incorporated city in San Diego County and a place built by one man's ambition: pioneer Frank Kimball. Shaped by the neighboring Naval Base San Diego, it grew a large, deeply rooted Filipino-American community and swapped a sailor-era 'Mile of Bars' for the auto dealerships of its famous 'Mile of Cars.'

AppWT works with National City, CA businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About National City

Also known as. Mile of Cars. Mile of Bars. N.C. Nasty City.

History. The land was the Spanish/Mexican Rancho de la Nacion, renamed 'The National Ranch,' which gave the city its name Founded July 7, 1868, when San Francisco contractor Frank Kimball and his brothers Warren and Levi bought the rancho and began building roads, a wharf, and citrus and olive orchards The arrival of the first transcontinental Santa Fe trains in November 1885 touched off one of the largest land booms in California history Incorporated September 17, 1887, making it the second-oldest city in San Diego County In 1887 Frank Kimball built Brick Row, ten Victorian row houses on Heritage Square, for about $30,000 The city banned cruising on National Avenue in 1992 and finally repealed that ban in April 2023

Local economy. Longtime home of the Mile of Cars, an auto-dealership row dating to the 1950s that is one of the oldest and largest dealer associations in the country, stocking thousands of vehicles Closely tied to Naval Base San Diego next door, which created one of the most sustained Filipino migration pipelines in U.S. history Major employers include Paradise Valley Hospital (founded 1902) and the local school districts Retail anchored by Westfield Plaza Bonita, one of the few fully enclosed shopping malls in San Diego County

Culture and community. Home to one of the largest Filipino-American communities in the United States, with Filipino restaurants ranging from 'point-point' turo-turo eateries to modern kitchens Hosts the annual Automobile Heritage Day festival and car show at Kimball Park, featuring 200-plus vehicles Cafe La Maze, a National City restaurant established in 1941, is a longtime local institution Sister-city ties reflect its makeup, partnering with Tecate, Mexico and Olongapo in the Philippines Birthplace of singer-songwriter Tom Waits and hometown to Olympic sprinter Gail Devers and conceptual artist John Baldessari

What makes National City distinct. Frank Kimball's home was reportedly the first modern house in San Diego County to have a bathtub and hot running water The same National Avenue that was the sailor-era 'Mile of Bars' was deliberately remade into the car-dealer 'Mile of Cars' The 1882 railroad depot is one of the earliest California Historical Landmarks, numbered 1023 One small city gave the country both a Tom Waits and an Olympic gold-medal sprinter

National City is a working-class, majority-Latino city in the South Bay just south of San Diego, known for its historic downtown, waterfront, and long-standing auto row.

National City Landmarks and Local Life

• National City Depot - 1882 Santa Fe railway terminus and the county's oldest railroad structure, California Historical Landmark No. 1023
• Brick Row (Heritage Square) - Row of 1887 Victorian houses built by Frank Kimball, on the National Register of Historic Places
• Mile of Cars - National City Boulevard auto row recognized as one of the world's first auto malls
• Kimball Park - Roughly 32-acre central park with ball fields, the city's skate park, and an amphitheater
• Pepper Park - Waterfront park on the Sweetwater Channel with a fishing pier and public boat launch

National City at a Glance

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023.

• Median household income: About $64,248
• Adults with a bachelor degree or higher: About 16.9%
• Housing: About 34% of housing units are owner-occupied, one of the lower ownership rates among South Bay San Diego cities
• Housing: Roughly 41% of homes are detached single-family houses, with the balance in apartments, condos, and other multi-unit buildings