For this month's Calbiotech Local, we feature San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, one of the most visited areas in the entire county.
The Gaslamp Quarter brings together many different people from around the world looking for culture, romance, shopping and fun for families, couples, students, business people and party-goers alike.
The Gaslamp Quarter extends from Broadway to Harbor Drive, and from 4th to 6th Avenue, covering 16½ blocks. It includes 94 historic buildings, most of which were constructed in the Victorian Era, and are still in use with active tenants including restaurants, shops and nightclubs. When development of the area began in the 1860s, the area currently known as the Gaslamp Quarter was known as New Town, in contrast to Old Town, which was the original Spanish colonial settlement of San Diego. The name "Gaslamp Quarter" is a reference to the gas lamps that were common in San Diego in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Four new gaslamps have been installed at the intersection of Market Street and 5th Avenue to evoke that time.
Gaslamp is listed as an historic district on the National Register of Historic Places as Gaslamp Quarter Historic District. Its main period of development began in 1867, when Alonzo Horton bought the land in hopes of creating a new city center closer to the bay. Alonzo chose 5th Avenue as the district's main street. After a period of urban decay, the neighborhood underwent urban renewal in the 1980s and 1990s.
Today it is the site of several entertainment and night life dozens, as well as scheduled events and festivals, including Mardi Gras in the Gaslamp, Street Scene Music Festival, Taste of Gaslamp and Sham ROCK, a St. Patrick's Day event and part of Comic-Con International. Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, is located one block away in downtown San Diego's East Village. The San Diego Covention Center is located adjacent to the Gaslamp Quarter and will be the site of the 2017 AACC Clinical Lab Expo. We look forward to seeing you in our hometown soon!
To learn more about the San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, please check out homepage of Gaslamp Quarter Association: http://www.gaslamp.org/