San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter

Book excerpt: Founded in 1850, San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, located in what was then called New Town, became the bustling anchor of commerce for the developing City of San Diego. In this new history of the area, nearly 200 striking images tell the story of the area's early boom and bust, the saloons and bordellos of infamous Stingaree Town, the urban decay of the mid-twentieth century, and the rebirth and restoration of the neighborhood over the last 30 years.