Center of the World
Center of the World Plaza, Felicity, CA 92283
Get there with Google Maps by clicking HERE
Date Visited: Unknown
I heard of this place and wondered, “How can anyone can call themselves, “The Center of the World?” Not to get too technical, but based on my high school Geometry, wouldn’t any point on the surface of a sphere that connected directly to the “center” of the sphere, be considered the center of the surface of the sphere? That’s just my warped thought process, but as it turns out, this place has been “officially” recognized as “The Center of the World.” It was recognized as such in May 1985, by the Imperial County Board of Supervisors and by the French government in 1989.
Then you stand precisely on a dot, facing north towards a church and make a wish. YES, I did make a wish… for “whirled peas”
The view while standing on the “Official Center Of The World” while facing north toward the church….
I’m not sure if I picked a good day or a bad day to visit. While there, I found out that the “Discovery Channel” was filming a segment for a “Green Earth Day” program. I haven’t figured out what makes the place “green.” At any rate, my day included signing a release so that I could appear on camera. (I don’t think I was actually ever filmed)
So, here’s the deal here, because of the filming, it was not a “usual” day. Per usual though, you pay $3.00 for a “certificate” that declares the date and time you stood at the “center of the world”. Once they get a few of these certificates sold… they take you into a pyramid structure….
The founder and mayor of Felicity, Jacques-Andre Istel (complete with sash), congratulating the host from Discovery after making her wish. I have no clue if the documentary piece was ever aired. I’m sorry I didn’t get any names from the Discovery crew. If anyone would like to fill me in on this information, I would be glad to know. Contact me here?
Mr. Istel is quite an interesting and historic figure. He is considered a pioneer in the field of sky diving and also an author of a children’s book, “Coe, the Good Dragon at the Center of the World” (1985).
A year after the publication of the book, he founded the town of Felicity, California, named after his wife.
There are several other interesting things in Felicity. It’s a somewhat eclectic collection. There is an iron, spiral staircase, standing alone, leading to nowhere. But, it’s a staircase from the Eiffel Tower! Don’t know the story about how it came to rest in Felicity, but there it is!
Also, there is a giant chess/checkerboard. we have no explanation for this one, it’s just there. With some more digging, we could probably figure out the “why” and “how” of these things, but maybe another day!
It has been several years since we visited The Center Of The World. At the time we visited, the “piece de resistance” (Thanks Dicey) had not been completed, so there are no photos here, but since I am updating to the new site, I feel I would be doing the site a disservice if I did not mention the, “Museum of History in Granite.” The link is to their website. There are plenty of photos there. I hope to return to take my own soon. For now, this will have to do.
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Thanks again!
Joe
