The Fremont neighborhood is known for its geographic centrality, just north of downtown Seattle.
Fremont has also been known for its quirkiness, dating from the 1930s when an economic downturn drove down rents and attracted more artists and students to the area. Although the local economy has improved since the arrival of several high-tech companies, the funky and eclectic vibe of Fremont has continued.
According to the Fremont Chamber of Commerce and “Fremont Scientists,” Fremont’s “strangeness” exists because of an “odd gravitational pull” that places Fremont at the Center of the Universe. Here, a unique geophysical force also creates an overwhelming urge “to return again and again.”
Reasoning that Fremont’s “center of the universe” location could “neither be proven nor disproven,” in the early 1970s residents set up a helpful “Center of the Universe” guidepost at Fremont Avenue and North 35th Street. In 1994, this location was officially proclaimed the Center of the Universe by the Metropolitan King County Council.
Here’s more about how the Fremont neighborhood in Seattle was founded and how it became known as the Center of the Universe.