National City

History: Incorporated in 1887, National City is San Diego County’s second-oldest city. It started in 1868, when the Kimball brothers — Frank, Warren and Levi—bought Rancho de la Nación, divided the land, built a port and helped bring in the National City and Otay Railway. The city prospered as the Navy and shipbuilders moved in after World War I. The city also embraced the automobile — the first car dealership opened in 1920.

How it got its name: During the Spanish era, the land was known as Rancho del Rey or King’s Ranch. It was renamed Rancho de la Nación, or National Ranch, under Mexican rule.

Landmarks: The Mile of Cars is one of the largest and oldest cardealer strips in the state.

Things to do: National City has four buildings on the National Register of Historic Places: Granger Music Hall, designed by architect Irving Gill for Ralph Granger; Brick Row, Philadelphia-style row houses built in 1887; National City Depot, the only U.S. transcontinental railroad terminus still standing; and St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, designed in an English country style.

Notable locals: NFL’S Dan Saleaumua and Olympian Gail Devers lived here. Musician Tom Waits grew up here and worked at Napoleone’s Pizza House. John Walton, a Walmart heir, owned a Victorian house here from 1986 to 2005. His family donated it to the International Community Foundation in 2006.