126- The Smallest City to Host a World's Fair (Expo '74)

The History Of The Evergreen State

An international exposition known as Expo '74, or Spokane's World's Fair, was held in Spokane from the 4th of May to the 3rd of November, 1974, marking the third World's Fair that the Evergreen State would host.
Spokane, home to just 170,000 people at the time, became the smallest city to host a world's fair and yet managed to draw in about 5.2 million visitors.
The environment was the dominant topic. Ten nations, including the US, Japan, and the Soviet Union, as well as other states and businesses, had pavilions on the 100-acre property.
The initial purpose of the fair was to clear and restore the ground next to the majestic Spokane River falls, which had been overrun by warehouses, trestles, and train tracks for many years.
Leading Spokane's bold move to host a world's fair and turn the downtown site into a public park was King Cole, an experienced urban regeneration project manager. The location was redesigned after the fair ended to become Riverfront Park, which serves as the city's downtown attraction and meeting place today.
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