Felicity, California
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Felicity is an
unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in
Imperial County Imperial Count (german: Reichsgraf) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. In the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from ...
,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. The town was established in 1986 by Jacques-Andre Istel. Istel first bought the land in the 1950s and later developed it in the 1980s after selling off his parachute business. The town is "Dedicated to Remembrance" and named for Istel's wife Felicia. It is 2,600 acres and lies at an elevation of 285 feet (87 m). It is accessible from
Interstate 8 Interstate 8 (I-8) is an Interstate Highway in the southwestern United States. It runs from the southern edge of Mission Bay at Sunset Cliffs Boulevard in San Diego, California, almost at the Pacific Ocean, to the junction with I-10, ...
in the far southeast of the state, just west of Yuma,
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
. The
Quechan The Quechan (or Yuma) (Quechan: ''Kwatsáan'' 'those who descended') are a Native American tribe who live on the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation on the lower Colorado River in Arizona and California just north of the Mexican border. Despite the ...
Tribe of the
Fort Yuma Indian Reservation The Fort Yuma Indian Reservation is a part of the traditional lands of the Quechan people. Established in 1884 from the former Fort Yuma, the reservation, at , has a land area of in southeastern Imperial County, California, and western Yuma Coun ...
is located nearby. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the town was the site of
Camp Pilot Knob The Camp Pilot Knob was a sub camp of the US Army, Desert Training Center in Imperial County, California. The main headquarters for the Desert Training Center was Camp Young, this is where General Patton's 3rd Armored Division was stationed. ...
, the US Army's training center. The town's key features are a 21-foot-tall stone-and-glass pyramid, a church on a man-made hill, and the
Museum of History in Granite The Museum of History in Granite is a museum in the town of Felicity, California. The museum exhibits monuments made from Missouri Red Granite. Each is long. Conceived as an historic record of humanity designed to last for four millennia, the Mus ...
, which Istel has been developing since the town's founding. The museum consists of dozens of granite panels, most of them over 100 feet long and weighing approximately 500 pounds. Etched on the panels is a historical record of humanity as chronicled by Istel. The lead artist on the project is Gene Britton. In May 1985, the Imperial County Board of Supervisors designated Felicity as the Official Center of the World. File:Center of the world pyramid.JPG, The pyramid houses the official center point. File:Felicity1.jpg, Entrance to Center of the World Plaza


References


External links


Roadside America article

The church on the hill at Felicity

A strange museum at the centre of the world
{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Imperial County, California Populated places established in 1986 1986 establishments in California Unincorporated communities in California