hub
n. countablen. the central part of a wheel or the most important place for an activity. You can use it to describe a city or building where everything happens.
n. the central part of a wheel, rotating on or with the axle; by extension, a focal point of activity, commerce, or transportation.
The airport is a major hub for international flights.
The kitchen became the social hub of the house during the party, with everyone gathering around the island.
By positioning itself as a regional financial hub, the city attracted significant foreign investment and a diverse workforce of skilled professionals.
From earlier hubbe, which has the same immediate origin as hob. Hub was originally a dialectal word; its ultimate origin is unknown. Compare German Hubbel (“bump on a surface”), from Proto-West Germanic hubil (“bump, hill”) (which contains a diminutive suffix -il); compare English hive, or perhaps ultimately from the same root as hip or hop.
Often used metaphorically with 'of' to describe a center of activity, such as a 'hub of industry' or 'hub of commerce'.