List of places referred to as the Center of the Universe

Several places on Earth have been given the nickname "Center (or Centre) of the Universe."

In addition, several fictional works have described a depicted location as being at the center of the universe.

Modern models of the Universe suggest it does not have a center, unlike previous systems which placed Earth (geocentrism) or the Sun (heliocentrism) at the center of the Universe.

Nicknames of places

Asia

Europe

  • Perpignan (France) : Salvador Dali considered its train station as the center of the Universe[2]
  • Wolverhampton, UK : Sir Terry Wogan referred to Wolverhampton UK as the centre of the Universe because there, the bathwater goes straight down the plughole
  • Hammersmith, UK : local historian Keith Whitehouse claimed it as the centre of the universe due to its history of radical politics and invention

North America

[[File:New york times square-terabass.jpg|thumb|right|New York City and [[Times Square] are nicknamed "The Center of the Universe"]]

  • New York City (a nickname)[3]
  • High Falls, New York
  • Epping, New Hampshire (a nickname)
  • Toronto, a term used derisively by residents of the rest of Canada in reference to the city;[6] see also nicknames for Toronto
  • Ashland, Virginia (the actual, cosmological center of the Universe, as declared by former Mayor Dick Gillis)[7]
  • Fremont, Seattle, Washington, has been marked a Center of the Universe via a guidepost since the 1970's. King County Council named it officially in 1994. An excerpt from the quirky proclamation: "...the Metropolitan King County Council plainly postulates and proclaims Fremont to be Center of the Universe, indeed, and hereby supports Fremont in its gallant endeavors to apply to the United Nations for sovereign status under international law."
Sign outside of the John B. Lindale House proclaiming Magnolia, Delaware as "The Center of the Universe around which the Earth revolves"
  • John B. Lindale House in Magnolia, Delaware displays a sign proclaiming "This is Magnolia, the Center of the Universe around which the Earth revolves"[8]
  • Alumni Hall (University of Notre Dame), South Bend, Indiana
  • The center of the Great Dome on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • In Albuquerque, New Mexico, a large sculpted-hallway structure with short corridors aligned to north-south, east-west, and up-down, at the main campus of the University of New Mexico is known as "The Center of the Universe"
  • Wallace, Idaho lists the intersection of Bank and Sixth Streets in its historic downtown as the center of the universe after Mayor Ron Garitone stated that "Wallace MUST be the Center of the Universe because you can't PROVE otherwise."
  • A concrete circle at the apex of a rebuilt span of the old Boston Street Bridge between 1st and Archer Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma is known as "The Center of the Universe". The spot produces an acoustical anomaly and it is for which the Center of the Universe Festival and Ms. Center of the Universe Pageant are named
  • A site near Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada has been referred to as a spiritual "Centre of the Universe"[9]
  • Teotihuacan, in modern-day Mexico was considered the center of the universe by many Mesoamerican tribes, including the Aztecs, and was a model city for the later indigenous civilizations. It was called the "birthplace of the gods" and heavily influenced the region despite being abandoned for centuries
  • Philo, Illinois, a small farming town near Champaign declares itself as The Center of The Universe on the town water tower
  • Bushkill, Pennsylvania a small town adjacent to parcels of abandoned property for a proposed dam on the Delaware River that was never built
  • Danielsville, Pennsylvania often referred to as the center of the universe by many of its residents
  • Exeter, Ontario a community in the municipality of South Huron, in the southern portion of Huron County, Ontario, Canada, located approximately 50 kilometres north of London
  • Ware Shoals, South Carolina (reference the perception by residents of a staggeringly large number of amazing people who have come from or have a connection to the town). Also the site of the annual Catfish Feastival
  • Bon Aqua, Tennessee Hickman county referred to as the center of the universe by country singer Johnny Cash
    • Country Corners

Astronomy

Plaque at the Space Flight Operations Facility of the Deep Space Network proclaiming the site to be "The Center of the Universe"

Fiction

Depictions of a "center of the universe" in fiction include:

References

  1. ↑ "Ten Chinese Cuisines Packed into Wudaokou". China.com. 15 May 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  2. ↑ Cf. article La Gare de Perpignan
  3. ↑ "Why is New York City known as "the Big Apple" and "Gotham?"". Dictionary.com, LLC. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  4. ↑ Sarah Moore (March 22, 2011). "Explore Manhattan Neighborhoods: The Center of the Universe (aka Times Square)". Her Campus Media. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Times Square The Crossroads of the World". TimesSquare.com. October 30, 2009. Archived from the original on August 13, 2013. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  6. ↑ Rayburn, Alan (2001). Naming Canada: Stories about Canadian Place Names. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-8020-8293-0.
  7. ↑ "Randolph-Macon College at 'center of the universe'". Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Welcome to the Town of Magnolia, Delaware". Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Centre of the Universe". tourismkamloops.com.
  10. ↑ Edidin, Rachel (14 November 2013). "Inside a NASA meetup, where science fans become space ambassadors". Wired. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  11. ↑ "Centre of the Universe - National Research Council Canada". Archived from the original on 2015-05-08. Retrieved Jan 9, 2014.
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