Felicity, unincorporated community in California
Felicity is a very small unincorporated community in the desert of Imperial County, California, known as the Center of the World. The site consists mainly of an open-air monument complex with a pink granite pyramid, hundreds of engraved granite panels telling human history, a chapel on a man-made hill, and various art installations scattered across the flat desert landscape.
Felicity was founded in 1986 by Jacques-Andre Istel, a French-American businessman who acquired the land in the 1950s and developed it with monuments to record human history. The site was officially recognized as the Center of the World in 1985 and later endorsed by the French government, based on a children's storybook and local decree.
Felicity is named after the founder's wife and means happiness or blessing, reflecting his hopes for the place. The site functions as an open monument to human memory, where visitors encounter different cultures and languages through engraved stones and artworks that celebrate shared human progress.
The site is easily reached via Interstate 8 passing nearby and sits between Yuma, Arizona and El Centro, California. Most visitors should expect very hot summer days and bring plenty of water and sun protection, as the place lies in open desert with minimal shade and few amenities nearby.
The site features a spiral staircase salvaged from the Eiffel Tower that was acquired at auction and now stands in the desert as an art piece. This unexpected connection between a French monument and a remote California desert location makes it a surprising destination for those who seek unusual combinations of history and art.
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