Comic-Con International to stay in the Gaslamp District

After months of speculation on its fate, Comic-Con International is staying in San Diego through 2015.

The deal came after a three-way proposition war between San Diego, Los Angeles and Anaheim over hosting the annual comic book and all-things-geeky convention when the current lease expires in 2012. The issue arose over attendance in recent years, which forced a limit of 125,000 guests at the convention starting in 2007.

Although places like the Los Angeles Convention Center could hold more people — and putting the convention in Los Angeles would certainly be more convenient for the ever-growing Hollywood presence at the convention — San Diego offers more amenities to patrons than Los Angeles could. The San Diego Convention Center, where Comic-Con is held, is located right next to the Gaslamp District, offering attendees plenty in the way of hotels, food and things to do in the evening. Downtown Los Angeles, despite some heavy renovation in the last few years, is not there yet.

“We are grateful for the tireless efforts all three cities put into to their proposals,” said David Glanzer, Comic-Con’s director of marketing and public relations. “In the end, we feel this decision is the best for all those who attend Comic-Con and for the organization itself. We are happy that the community has worked with us to ensure that we remain here.”

By 2016, maybe other cities will be bigger contenders. For now, San Diego is where it’s at.