Highway sign for Center of the World.

Center of the World

Leavittsburg, Ohio

No one ever said that the Center of the World had to be big, but blink and you'll miss this one in Ohio -- a tiny crossroads town with an official green highway sign and not much else.

The Center of the World was named by Randall D. Wilmot, who had previously created a Beginning of the World business in New York City. He chose the name because he genuinely believed -- in the 1840s -- that his Center of the World village would soon become a powerhouse of activity, if maybe not quite a world center. A main stagecoach route ran right through town, busy with travelers.

Then the railroad arrived, chose to go through nearby Warren, and all of the traffic went there.

Although the Center of the World never grew into more than the tiny hamlet it is today, it kept the metropolis-size name. Wilmot packed up and moved further west to Cortland, Ohio, where he opened an End of the World grocery store.