The part of town we tend think of as Downtown Las Vegas—Fremont Street and Fremont East, the 18b Arts District, Symphony Park, the Gateway District and the neighborhood informally known as “Lawyer’s Row”—is experiencing growth so widespread and rapid you can practically see it happening in real time. Multiple apartment and condo developments are going vertical. Nightlife, dining, entertainment and cultural districts are solidifying. Downtown’s streets are buzzing with activity: driverless vehicles, electric bikes and scooters, pedestrians—yes, pedestrians! In this economy!—and the roadways themselves are being resurfaced, remade.

The Weekly can’t offer you a complete picture of our dynamic and evolving city core. It’s happening too fast. But we can offer you a snapshot of the people and places that are elevating it right now, from a new civic plaza, to the women business owners of the Arts District, to an empire of Fremont East bars and clubs (see page 34). Downtown Las Vegas is on the rise. And by the time you read this, it will have risen higher still.