Disneyland Resort
Disneyland is the colloquial name for Anaheim, California’s Disneyland Resort. Two theme parks, Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, as well as three hotels and the retail, dining, and entertainment district of Downtown Disney are all part of this complex, which is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company’s Parks, Experiences, and Products division.
In the 1950s, Walt Disney conceived up the idea for the resort. Disneyland, its 100-acre parking lot (with 15,167 places), and the Disneyland Hotel, owned and operated by Disney’s business partner Jack Wrather, first opened to the public on July 17, 1955. Disney bought up huge swaths of property next to Disneyland in order to replicate their successful multi-park, multi-hotel business model from Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
Because to the extension, the old Disneyland Park is no longer the official name of the property; now, the entire complex is known as Disneyland Resort. Two hotels were acquired: the Disneyland Hotel from the Wrather Company and the Pan Pacific Hotel from the Tokyu Group. In 2000, the Pan Pacific Hotel was renamed Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel. As of 2001, the resort also included the Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, the Disney California Adventure theme park, and the Downtown Disney retail, eating, and entertainment center.
Several miles south of Anaheim’s downtown, close to the city’s border with nearby Garden Grove, is where you’ll find the Disneyland Resort. East Harbor Boulevard, South Katella Avenue, West Walnut Street, and North Ball Road serve as rough boundaries for the resort. At its northeastern tip, Interstate 5 runs perpendicular to the resort’s limits.
Land along Ball Road between Disneyland Drive and Walnut Street and the area surrounded by Harbor Boulevard and Katella Avenue are not technically part of the Disneyland Resort. The Mickey & Friends Parking Structure, Downtown Disney, and the three hotels can all be reached from Disneyland Drive, which runs north to south through the property. South of the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure, you’ll find Magic Way, which links Walnut Street and Disneyland Drive and provides access to the parking structure, Disneyland Hotel, and Downtown Disney.
The Walt Disney Company will be launching a brand new project in March 2021 named Disneyland Forward at their Anaheim, California theme park. In order to accommodate Disney’s plans to expand both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, the city of Anaheim is being asked to amend its zoning regulations. Plans have called for expanding the resort into the area occupied by the Disney’s Paradise Pier hotel and the parking lots to the west. It has been speculated that a new version of Disney Springs, featuring a variety of retail, dining, and entertainment options, will be constructed close to the Toy Story parking lot.
Next Point of Interest: Disney California Adventure Park