Disneyland Was a Hit
Walt Disney knew right away that Disneyland in Anaheim, California, was a hit when it opened its doors in 1955. The park welcomed millions of visitors per year and quickly became America’s most popular theme park. But surveys at the time indicated that only 5 percent of visitors to the Happiest Place on Earth were from the East Coast, and Disney wanted to change that. And his plan for a new park proved to be much bigger than anyone initially imagined.