The Gaslamp Quarter, where downtown began in the 1870's, is bordered by the East Village to the south and east, the Core district to the north, and the Horton Plaza and Marina districts to the west. "The Gaslamp", as it is affectionately called, is Downtown San Diego's hotspot. It is the place to go for food, shopping, and fun. Encompassing eight blocks to the north/south and two blocks to the east/west, the main thoroughfare is located up and down 5th Avenue.

The neighborhood tends to lights up at sunset with nightlife ranging from taverns, hole-in-the walls, cocktail lounges and trendy nightclubs patronized by folk from all over the county and tourists world wide. The original visitors of the 1880s to The Gaslamp were gamblers and prostitutes, such as Wyatt Earp and Ida Bailey, who founded numerous gambling halls, saloons and brothels in San Diego's red light district, the Stingaree. San Diego remained a popular navy liberty port until 1912 when city officials cracked down on prostitution, effectively shutting down the lively Stingaree. In 1885, the Chinese Mission School opened to quickly become a social center for Chinese and Japanese immigrants and facilitated interaction between Caucasian and Asian San Diegans. Today, the Gaslamp Quarter is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and its 94 historically or architecturally significant structures now house more than 70 restaurants and nightclubs, movie theaters, shops, offices, galleries and lofts, as well as a few ghosts. Annual events in The Gaslamp include a Mardi Gras Celebration, ShamRock, Taste of Gaslamp, and Cinco in the Gaslamp.

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