Disneyland, Walt Disney’s metropolis of nostalgia, fantasy, and futurism, opened on July 17, 1955.
The $17 million theme park was built on 160 acres of former orange groves in Anaheim, California, and soon brought in staggering profits.
My first visit was the following year when I was 12 years old. My mother took my sister, who was then ten, and me to Disneyland. We even stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. It was one of the highlights of my life. The video below was taken that year and was restored, so the quality is quite good. This is the Disneyland that I first remember.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXNHmhqOweQ&w=850&h=478]
Many years later, I moved to Yorba Linda, which is fairly close to Anaheim, so we spent a lot of time there with our three daughters,
Over the years there have been many changes, including the addition of Disney California Adventure.
Today, Disneyland hosts more than 14 million visitors a year, who spend close to $3 billion.