- Felicity, California
Felicity is an unincorporated town in
Imperial County, California , referred to as the "Center of the World".cite news | first= Mike | last= Anton | title= Desert monument captures history on stone | url= http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-felicity16apr16,1,6734210.story | work= Los Angeles Times | date=2008-04-16 | accessdate=2008-04-16 ] Founded inMay 11 1986 , the community was named after a town mentioned inJacques-André Istel 's book "Coe the Good Dragon," and inspired by his wife, Felicia. It is accessible from Interstate 8 in the far south east of the state, just before Yuma,Arizona .Landmarks
The Sundial at Felicity
The gnomon of the convert|15|ft|m|abbr=on.
Sundial at Felicity is a three-dimensional bronze of Michelangelo's Arm of God painted on theSistine Chapel ceiling. The arm was sculpted and cast in bronze inNew England . The rock is local but the installation required the assistance of a mining engineer and a special drill. The bronzeRoman numerals give the time. A sundial is precisely accurate once a year and this was set at noon on Christmas Day. The arm points to the Hill of Prayer, site of the Church on the Hill at Felicity, under construction (2006). The Hill of Prayer was built in January 2002 by moving 150,000 tons of earth cite news | first= Mike | last= Anton | title= Desert monument captures history on stone | url= http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-felicity16apr16,1,6734210.story | work= Los Angeles Times | date=2008-04-16 | accessdate=2008-04-16 ] (engineered to earthquake zone 4 specifications). The church will remain the highest point in the Town of Felicity now and in the future.culpture at Entrance
The convert|25|ft|m|abbr=on. high section number 12 of the original stairway of the
Eiffel Tower is the entrance sculpture at Felicity cite news | first= Mike | last= Anton | title= Desert monument captures history on stone | url= http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-felicity16apr16,1,6734210.story | work= Los Angeles Times | date=2008-04-16 | accessdate=2008-04-16 ] . In 1983, the Government of France removed approximately convert|500|ft|m|abbr=on. of the original stairway. Built with the technology of the 1860s, the weight of approximately convert|54000|lb|abbr=on. was causing sway at the top of the then 94 year old tower. Twenty sections were sold at auction on the tower on 1 December 1983. Most are in museums and a few in private hands. Section 12 was bought at auction in June 1989 at theChateau de Cheverny . The installation of the convert|6600|lb|abbr=on. section required engineering and a building permit. It serves no practical purpose, but is part of the spirit of Felicity cite news | first= Mike | last= Anton | title= Desert monument captures history on stone | url= http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-felicity16apr16,1,6734210.story | work= Los Angeles Times | date=2008-04-16 | accessdate=2008-04-16 ] .The Felicity Post Office
The Felicity Post Office was dedicated on 5 December 1987 at a time when thousands of small post offices were being eliminated as an economy measure. The town, whose population numbered two, saw over 2,300 letters mailed that day. The dedication ceremony was highlighted by a speech in Chinese by Consul Zhou of the
People’s Republic of China who traveled convert|600|mi|km for the occasion. It is operated by the town at a cost to the Federal Government of one dollar per year. Twenty uncashed one dollar checks are on file.References
External links
* [http://www.felicityusa.com/ Felicity, CA Homepage]
* [http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/CAFEL.html Roadside America article]
* [http://www.hillofprayer.org/ The church on the hill at Felicity]
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