EARNIE GRAFTON / Union-Tribune The Frank A. Kimball House in Heritage Square contains some historical objects, including a stereoptican slide viewer and family Bible, from the 1860s founders of National City. The Kimball brothers were instrumental in bringing the railroad to San Diego.

Presidents Day honors bewigged George Washington and his 42 successors, and conjures images of sprawling East Coast estates of Mount Vernon, Monticello and Hyde Park. But not all the presidents and founders of the country lived in splendor – and neither did the men and women who founded San Diego and the county's many towns, neighborhoods, businesses and institutions.

WASHINGTON – The common perception among economists is that the current housing bubble will be a relatively short-term affair that should see a return to normalcy within the next few years. But according to a new study by two University of Southern California researchers, a bubble of even more monumental proportions lies just ahead.

Columnist Lew Sichelman and host Carl Larsen review highlights from the International Builders Show, 3 p.m. Monday.