Gastown

Gastown is a historic district in Vancouver, Canada, located along the waterfront of Burrard Inlet and marked by brick buildings from the Victorian era. Its streets connect in an irregular grid, with pedestrian walkways running between storefronts with large display windows and restored facades.

The first settlement appeared in 1867 with a saloon near a sawmill, as workers and traders set up along the waterfront. After a fire in 1886, the neighborhood was rebuilt using fireproof materials and grew into the commercial center of the expanding city.

The name comes from John "Gassy Jack" Deighton, whose nickname reflected his talkative nature when greeting customers at his establishment. Today visitors walk past restaurants and cafes that occupy ground floors of the same brick structures that once served gold prospectors and lumber workers.

Visitors find the district easily walkable from ferry terminals and the main train station, with most buildings accessible at street level. Cobblestone sections can become slippery when wet, so sturdy footwear is recommended.

A steam clock from 1977 stands at the corner of Cambie and Water Streets, marking time every 15 minutes with Westminster chimes played through steam whistles. The mechanism uses the city's district heating steam system, originally developed to heat surrounding basements and discourage people without homes from gathering there.