The valley of Poway derived its name from the language of the Diegueno and Luiseno Indians who roamed the area for several hundred years before the Spaniards came. The word Poway is generally accepted to mean “the meeting of little valleys” or “end of the valley.” The town experienced a growth spurt in the late 1950s when Poway Valley Homes opened the first subdivision. This was followed in 1971 with the construction of a dam and the creation of Lake Poway aimed at providing residents with a more permanent source of water. In December 1980, Poway was incorporated as a full-service, general law City, which operates under the Council/Manager form of government. The late 1980s saw the development of a 700-acre Poway Business Park in the southern area of the City, which is now home to more than 400 businesses today and provides more than 16,000 jobs.