How Did Fremont Become the Center of the Universe?
It's not just about the Troll
By Kendall Upton April 6, 2020
This article originally appeared in the April 2020 issue of Seattle magazine.
This article appears in print in the April 2020 issue. Click here to subscribe.
In the 1990s, a small group of Fremont residents and business owners wanted to rebrand the neighborhood as the culturally rich area it once was, rather than the industrial eyesore it had become.
Building on the success of the Fremont Solstice Parade, founded in 1989, and the Fremont Sunday Market, opened in 1990, the coalition embarked on a concerted grassroots PR campaign. Dubbing Fremont “the Center of the Universe,” they planted a signpost between Fremont Avenue N and Fremont Place N to stake that claim, helpfully directing you from the heart of the neighborhood to nearby landmarks, such as the Lenin statue, and far-flung locales, like the Milky Way.
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