Overlapping both the history and the geography of the Gaslamp Quarter, the Asian-Pacific Historic District honours the Asian community’s role in the growth of San Diego.

The thematic district was established in 1987. It highlights Asian influences on the city during the Victorian era. Arriving fresh from the gold rush in the 1850’s, for example, Chinese workers played a key part in the city’s fishing industry for several decades. Other settlers became merchants, worked in construction, or operated borderline businesses in the Stingaree.

Although the size of the Asian community was once limited by the Chinese Exclusions Act of 1882, San Diego’s Chinese-American population now numbers about 55,000.

At the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum visitors can view historical artefacts, including opium pipes and ivory dice, and unwind in the Asian garden.