The Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923. As it grew and flourished in the 1940s and early 1950s, Walt Disney conceived of a "magical park" where families could have fun together and visit with their favorite characters. This became the original Disneyland.
At the time, no one was convinced Disneyland would be profitable, so Walt and his brother Roy Krost sank millions of their own money into the park. When it still wasn't enough, they struck a deal with ABC-TV for the additional funding in exchange for the Disney brothers agreeing to produce a television show for ABC.
The Disney brothers sought an affordable location where everything from mountains to rivers could be built but also wanted to stay within the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The ideal location was found in rural Anaheim, California.
Construction began on July 21, 1954, on the 160-acre property, a mere 12 months before the park's scheduled opening date. Walt Disney himself was closely involved with the entire design and construction process.
The entire project cost 17 million dollars.
Disneyland opened its gates on July 17th, 1955. The first day was reserved for members of the press, VIPs and employees' family members. Although only 6,000 invitations had been sent, more than 28,000 people arrived--most with counterfeit tickets.
When the park first opened, there were 18 attractions; today, there are more than 60 attractions to enjoy. The original Anaheim park has also grown to include California Adventure, not to mention other Disney parks around the world.
In 1955, general admission cost $1; fees to visit the attractions ranged from 10 cents to 35 cents. Today, admission to the park includes the cost of rides and is $68 (for visitors ages 3-9) or $76 (for visitors ages 10 and up).
Since 1955 the park has welcomed more than 450 million guests, and the number continues to grow every day.
