What area really needs a theme park?

[Delfay]

New England. We have a few parks, but only one has more than 3 coasters.

[bigbill245]

Long Island needs a decent amusement park. There is a amusement park thats geared for kids but no real thrill seeker oriented parks. Plus to get to a decent park it takes a lot of time and crossing the bridges gets expensive.

[soilooklikemanson]

Fresno has NOTHING, two kiddie coasters......Woopie doo! This metropolis could support a park like Scandia in Ontario CA. A screamer would do very well here. °O° hidden mickey

[Ryancrash]

The Northwest, definitely. One of the reasons I left Seattle in May 2001 was the lack of roller coasters. And in the 10 years+ I’ve been away, the situation hasn’t improved at all.

 

People will cite the weather as a reason for the lack of theme parks (“It rains there all the time…”), but this excuse doesn’t hold. Seattle has some of the nicest weather in the country - it’s very moderate, never too hot or too cold. I now live in New York - New York gets many more inches of rainfall per year than Seattle, and it doesn’t prevent New York from having theme parks. Hey, if Scandinavia can have awesome theme parks with its cooler northern climate, then the Northwest should be able to as well.

[coasterbear30]

As much as I love Dollywood, I have never understood why TN doesn't have more than one park. I really think that Nashville could use a park. Yes, I know there was Libertyland and Opryland but since they are long gone I could see Nashville getting a really nice park.

[thrillerman1]

^ Once again...YES, please!

[megazephftw]

Houston, and New Orleans.

 

These places are local enough to me, so I know what I'm talking about. Houston is, what, the 3rd most populated US city? Astroworld was great, but since demolished, they don't have any parks, and the closest thing to an amusement park is Schlitterbahn Galveston, a good hour away.

 

Baton Rouge already has a small amusement park with a Galaxi, a vekoma boomerang, and two crappy spinning coasters, in addition to a very credible water park (Blue Bayou), and with a medium sized population I think that's adequate. But NOLA has had nothing since SFNO, which housed an amazing CCI (Mega Zeph). Once, Viacom promised a big Nickelodeon Park on the SFNO site, but backed out quietly. There was also supposed to be a water park at the site, which has been scrapped too. There's two pretty intact vekomas there, (backwards looper and boomerang) it would be a bargain to just restore the salvageable rides and open a small park there for any stable company.

[chetCO]

Having lived there for a few years while in High School, I can say West Virginia could really use a theme park. They do have Camden Park, I small park in Huntington that is currently the states only amusement park. Of course, they are suppose to be building Wild Escape near Wheeling, but I haven't really heard much about it recently.

 

 

Really about the best place in West Virginia to build any kind of themepark would be in the Eastern Panhandle town of Martinsburg, for two key reasons. They can attract the Baltimore and DC crowd and Berkeley County ( Martinsburg ) does NOT have any zoning whatsoever. The way it is right now one can build any size park anywhere they want in that county...and the county can NOT touch you with a ten foot pole.

[djcyberlegend]

The Northwest, definitely. One of the reasons I left Seattle in May 2001 was the lack of roller coasters. And in the 10 years+ I’ve been away, the situation hasn’t improved at all.

+1. I have a friend who lives in the Vancouver WA area who's told me that the nearest park is SFDK, she gets a bit jealous when I brag about going to SFNE.

[Evanaj15]

Since CGA is being removed, we need one in NorCal to replace it

[FeelTheFORCE]

I was always surprised New York City never had anything big. I know Great Adventure isn't all that far away, but still.

[Andrewoplis]

The Northwest, definitely. One of the reasons I left Seattle in May 2001 was the lack of roller coasters. And in the 10 years+ I’ve been away, the situation hasn’t improved at all.

+1. I have a friend who lives in the Vancouver WA area who's told me that the nearest park is SFDK, she gets a bit jealous when I brag about going to SFNE.

 

Has your friend ever heard of Wild Waves

[neovortex2k]

Ireland. We are only 60 miles from the U.K. and look at the coasters that are in Alton Towers and Thorpe Park. One have one Pinfari coaster and that seasonal!

[Schotcher]

Massachusetts anyone? All we have is Six Flags, which is in a really remote part of the state, and lil baby parks.

Edited August 24, 2013 by Schotcher

[Andrewoplis]

^ Yeah, but that Six Flags happens to have one of the best steel coasters in the world, your a lot luckier then most people!

[Schotcher]

^ Yeah, but that Six Flags happens to have one of the best steel coasters in the world, your a lot luckier then most people!

 

Really far away from the main area and one of the worst six flags I've been to.

[Ryancrash]

Ireland. We are only 60 miles from the U.K. and look at the coasters that are in Alton Towers and Thorpe Park. One have one Pinfari coaster and that seasonal!

 

Yes! A country I really want to visit. Ireland deserves a good theme park.

[vacoaster09]

I am dying down here. I just moved here from Washington D.C. there no theme park relatively close. Louisiana and Alabama are on either side but neither have theme parks within reason. Does anyone or has anyone heard of any developments to build a park down here? (Besides SFNO attempts). With Biloxi being such a huge market for Casinos and beach goers and great weather I am surprised that nothing has been planned.

[BeemerBoy]

With Biloxi being such a huge market for Casinos and beach goers and great weather I am surprised that nothing has been planned.

Your answer lies here.

[vacoaster09]

I don't think every park would end up like HRP. I think even something on the scale of Galveston Pleasure Pier would be recieved well here.

 

I've read things about a MGM theme park for Mississippi that didn't happen.

MGM Theme Park

 

but that was north misissippi... which is 6 hours away.

 

Sigh

[Chittlins]

I don't think every park would end up like HRP. I think even something on the scale of Galveston Pleasure Pier would be recieved well here.

 

I've read things about a MGM theme park for Mississippi that didn't happen.

MGM Theme Park

 

but that was north misissippi... which is 6 hours away.

 

Sigh

 

 

That was victim of the economy of 2008.

 

Anywho, is there a pier large enough to pull off one of Landry's boardwalk/ piers? I'm wishing for somthing similar for Mud Island in Memphis. They now know where to build the Island up after last year.

[vacoaster09]

From what I have seen, a pier would have to be constructed but there is also plenty of land that has yet to have been developed just open land either right on the coast or bit inland. Basically the land is here.

[pyrocoasterkid]

Having done quite a bit of research in my Master's program about the area last year, I would guess a major factor has to be the insurance rates. I know many residents have been unable to rebuild after Katrina due to the insurance being way too high... something that greatly frustrates them. I would imagine this is true for potential theme park developers too.

[Jew]

^Good point. Costs have to be the sole reason. Aside from the start up costs being high (rides aren't cheap), the insurance (ride insurance+hurricane insurance) would be ridiculous. I could only imagine the costs of building a pier in the Gulf Coast post Katrina (good luck getting financing on that!).

 

Beach and Casino development is much more profitable because there isn't as high of an initial start up cost, and someone could see a return much quicker. $1 million bucks (rough cost of a major flat ride) could buy quite a few slot machines that will instantly make money...

[robbalvey]

Flights to Orlando aren't too terribly expensive!