About Disneyland
Disneyland is an amusement park located in Anaheim, California. It was opened in 1955 and is the only park that was designed, built, owned, opened and operated by Walt Disney. Since its inception, over five hundred million people have visited the park and every year it is one of the top visited theme parks in the world. Entertainment in Disneyland is a mix of rides, live shows, and exhibits, including parades and firework displays for holidays and special events.
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Invented
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Disneyland was invented by Walt Disney, owner of the Walt Disney Company. He was an award-winning film producer and entrepreneur, having created numerous animated films for family audiences. Disneyland was built in order to bring many of his more famous animations to life and to draw in tourists from around the world. He dubbed the park "The Happiest Place in the World," and it is a time-tested slogan that has stuck with the park throughout the years.
History of
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On July 17, 1955, Disneyland opened its doors for the first time for an invitation-only sneak preview. Due to counterfeit tickets, malfunctioning rides and water fountains, and other mishaps, the reviews of the park were initially very low. However, these problems were fixed, and Disneyland attracted people from all over. In the 1990s the park expanded into a resort, which included hotels and the Downtown Disney shopping center. An 18-month celebration occurred in 2005 and 2006 to celebrate the park's 50th anniversary. Disneyland continues to operate strongly to this day, and recently in February of 2008 Matt Ouimet, president of the park stepped down and was replaced by vice president Ed Grier.
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Features
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Disneyland has nine different themed areas that incorporate different aspects of Walt Disney Company productions and characters. Main Street, U.S.A. is the first area in the park that is modeled after a town in the early 1900s. Adventureland is a jungle-themed area, Fronteirland offers a train ride through a western-styled area of the park, and Fantasyland offers attractions inspired by magic and wizardry seen in Disney films. New Orleans Square represents an area in New Orleans, Critter Country has the famed Splash Mountain ride, and Mickey's Toontown represents Disney's cartoon characters. Finally, there is Tomorrowland, a feature of the park that has scientific exhibits and futuristic rides.
Size
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The nine areas of Disneyland make up one of the biggest theme parks ever, and the resort areas only increase the span of the park. The entire area of the park that is open to the public is spread over about 85 acres, which is 0.133 square miles. Parking lots, backstage areas, and corporate offices are not included, and increase the park's space by 15-20 acres. Much of the size of Disneyland is used for transportation services and walkways that run throughout the park, while the rest is for rides, attractions, and services.
Risk Factors
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While Disneyland is intended for all ages and families, there are risks involved with many of the attractions. Because of the nature of the rides, many are not suitable for people taking medication, women who are pregnant, or children under a certain height. Depending on the restrictions for each ride, a warning sign is posted at the start of each line for every ride. Since it opened, there have been twelve deaths in Disneyland and upwards of one hundred injuries.
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