Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney originally envisioned building a tourist attraction adjacent to his Burbank film studio to entertain fans who wished to visit. However, he soon realized that the proposed site was too small for his vision.

Disney purchased a 160-acre site near Anaheim in 1953 after a feasibility study was done, with initial design work completed by the creative team that founded WED Enterprises, the precursor to today’s Walt Disney Imagineering. Construction began in 1954 and the park was unveiled during a special televised press event on the ABC Television Network on July 17, 1955.

Since opening, Disneyland has expanded tremendously, including the addition of New Orleans Square in 1966, Bear Country in 1972, Mickey’s Toontown in 1993, Disney California Adventure Park in 2001, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2019.