Walt Disney first thought about Disneyland while visiting Griffith Park with his daughters. He watched his daughters ride the Merry-Go-Round and came up with an idea of a place where both children and adults could have a lot of fun. While this dream of his would remain a dream for many years, Disneyland finally became a reality in the 1950s when the American population started shifting towards the West Coast.
Walt Disney used to receive many requests asking for permission to visit Disney Studio. While visiting a studio wasn’t Mr. Disney’s idea of entertainment, he thought of an alternative and started off by creating a small park near his Burbank studios. He installed some theme areas in the park that also had a boat ride. Mr. Disney’s next step was to create the Mickey Mouse Park on 8 acres of land across Riverside Drive. Even as Mickey Mouse Park was in full swing, Walt Disney started visiting other amusement parks across the country for better ideas. After some detailed research, he hired Harrison Price, a consultant from Stanford to further his research and look at the potential of an amusement park of his own. Based on Mr. Price’s report, Walt Disney acquired a piece of land containing orange groves and walnut trees in Anaheim, California. This 160 acre plot of land was situated in the Orange Country south-east of Los Angeles.
During the initial days, Walt Disney faced enormous funding problems. ABC television network had come into being around that time. Mr. Disney started a program called Disneyland which was broadcast on ABC. In return, ABC helped the funding for the park. The construction began on July 18 1954 and completed exactly a year later and cost USD$ 17 million.
On July 18 1955, Disneyland was opened to the public. The day before, an International Press Review was arranged for special guests and the media. The event was telecast throughout the United States on ABC and anchored by Ronald Reagan, Bob Cummings and Art Linkletter. However, the day went completely wrong. From overcrowding to unfinished work inside the park, everything was awry. Disneyland got the worst possible publicity for this effort. The press had to be invited for another private event on another day. On 18th July, the crowd started gathering at 2 am. David MacPherson was the first person to buy a ticket and enter the park. For the first 5 years, Disneyland was jointly owned by Walt Disney Productions, Western Publishing, Walt Disney and ABC. ABC’s shares were purchased by Walt Disney productions in 1960.
In the late 1990s, various development projects were carried on and the park became a resort. Another theme park, Disney’s California Adventure Park was added. Downtown Disney, a dining and entertainment complex was also added and the Disneyland Hotel was refurbished completely. The Pan-Pacific Hotel was also acquired.
In 2004, major renovations were done in the park to celebrate the 50th anniversary. In 2005 and 2006, Disneyland celebrated an 18-month long 50th anniversary that ended on September 30 2006.
US $750.00
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Placentia-Disneyland? Pk Area, Placentia,CA
Embassy Suites Hotel Anaheim-South Adjacent To Disneyland, Garden Grove,CA
Among other airports is Long Beach Municipal Airport at Long Beach California. It is located 18 miles away from Disneyland. From the airport, one has to drive 6 miles on 405 Freeway South, then 7 miles on 22 Freeway East and then exit on Harbor Boulevard and go north for 3 miles. Disneyland can be found on the left when Katella is passed.