Any fellow Arizonans out there?

Question: WHY DON'T THEY BUILD A BIG PARK IN ARIZONA?

Why doesn't Six Flags, Paramount, or Cedar Fair try to at least make one in Phoenix? I am from Tucson but I'd sure as heck make the hour and a half drive to go to a park!
Six Flags doesn't build new parks, but they could buy out Castles N Coasters and expand the park.
Paramount could build a park in Phoenix... and why not Cedar Fair it would be GREAT for them! Does ANYBODY KNOW WHY THERE IS NO MAJOR PARK IN ARIZONA? AND DONT SAY BECAUSE MAGIC MOUNTAIN IS TOO CLOSE BECAUSE An 8 HOUR DRIVE AINT CLOSE! AND DON'T SAY ARIZONA ISN'T BIG ENOUGH BECAUSE PHOENIX HAS OVER a Million people so WHY WHY WHY????

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Arizona needs a theme park!

Moving to "Parks". Also. don't post entire posts in bold, red text for no reason.

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I'am guessing the market is nowhere near good enough to support a major theme park. But i have never been to arizona so i really coulden't say why. Mabye they will someday.

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Well if you haven't been to Arizona you wouldn't understand that a major part of Arizona's economy is based on tourism. Especially Tucson not so much Phoenix. I have talked to someone in the amusement field recentley about this and they said that one reason is because it would cause parks like Magic Mountain (were people from here would have to go to ride some decent rides) to have a decrease in attendance, but if a park like Six Flags opened one here, wouldn't the attendence increase here, because then more people could go to the park, because not everyone can afford to get on a plane and fly to California and pay for a hotel. I gaurantee the increase in attendance from Arizonan's would make up for the little bit taken from us that travel all the way to Magic Mountain, don't you think or am I mistaken?

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Arizona needs a theme park!

Holy crap! Another member from Tucson! Dude! Get in touch with me!

Yes, it is sad that Arizona doesn't have any decent amusement parks. It really hurts knowing you have to drive at least eight hours to get on a decent roller coaster. I feel that Arizona is the prime place for an amusement park, since it could be open year-round. It would bring in tourists, too.

Six Flags won't open a park here because Six Flags only buys exisiting parks anymore.

Titan Thrills & Leisure Corp. is attempting to build a large amusement park in the Phoenix area. I have contacted the president of that company and he's working his hardest to get it started! I hope it gets off the ground!

PLEASE LAY OFF TYPING IN ALL CAPS. It's difficult to read and can get annoying. Try to work on your grammar and typing too. Check out our forum etiquette. It's a guide that will help you not get mocked.

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Why isn't there one in Arizona?

Because the major park chains are an evil oligopoly that have no greater common goal than that of spiting Phoeniz, Arizona.

Seriously, if there was an economic demand for it, there would/will be a park in AZ. Apparently, no chain feels that the current conditions are favorable to building/operating a park there.

I would like to really see a CF park in the south east side of the country. Maybe not Florida but close like Georgia, Mississippi, or Alabama.

^I had hoped Cedar Fair would buy Visionland, but they apparently did not feel it was a good investment.

Anyway, the theme park markett was saturated in the 70s. That is why newer parks like Visionland, Bonfante Gardens, and Jazzland failed. (The first time around, that is)

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If it was saturated, they wouldn't have been built in the first place. Those parks failed for a number of reasons--but mismanagement probably played into all of their initial failures.

The cost of building a park is very high. The rides, the many many buildings inside the park, the land, advertisement, utilities, and everything else that a park needs costs money. An established park has done that for years and they are there but have depreciated. A ride that costed 1 million dollars only adds a couple hundred thousand to the value of the park. A failing park is probably interested in selling the park to cover debts.

It's very difficult for a new park to become something good overnight. It takes many years of dedication to get off the ground otherwise the park will quickly go into the red and die. The exception are parks funded by a large company.

I think building a park in Arizona would be a great idea. Like someone mentioned, it would be open all year round and again, like someone mentioned, it would attract so many people and wouldn't have any competition over there.

Exactly! Precise you are! Arizona as anywhere can get cold, but seldom gets snow, except for northern Arizona. Also, the rain here (except for the monsoon season which is in late summer) isn't much. We're dry as he**! There wouldn't be need for a down season. We pretty much have good weather all year round! Also like CoasterCrazy said it would attract many people. The only park it would compete with is Castles 'N Coasters which isn't anything to speak well of. Its so sad that we can't have a better park than that here. I think that a major park should be built here. It would have no competition and GREAT attendance!

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Arizona needs a theme park!

If it's such a brilliant plan... why do you think the major park chains haven't jumped on the opprtunity?

You're right. I guess its not brilliant. It's just wishful thinking. All you major city people don't know what it's like having to make an entire vacation just to visit a park. Its expensive and it just sucks. The nearest park to me thats worth going to is Magic Mountain, which luckily I am heading their for rodeo weekend (Feb 26.) Other than that who knows what my year will hold. You know how sad it is not being able to hold a season pass ANYWHERE!? It sucks!

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Arizona needs a theme park!

Could it be because of the extreme summer heat in Arizona? There would have to be SO much shade (maybe build the entire park indoors?) and water misters spread throughout. I'm sure the water rides would be very popular!

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Yes, that may be true, although living here the heat is nothing, I can see to visitors this may cause a problem. They could build shade and I really don't think that is the reason though. Is it something wrong with Arizona? Are these major companys racist against Arizonans. (HaHa just kidding.) Really though it boggles my mind. I guess I just may never know.

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Arizona needs a theme park!

Mabye some park will move in once there is a big demand for one. Right now i don't see SF building/buying any parks for a while. The last thing we need is yet another Disney park. I think if a major chain were to move it it would be Paramount or Cedar Fair.

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Location, Location, Location!

The population in the area might not be good enough for a major park. Phoenix is big, yes. But thats it for miles.

Most other major parks I know have a couple major cities within 2 hours drive. 1 big city usually can't handle it.

Other issue might be the constant sun? Do people in Arizona stay in the sun for 12 hours straight? What does the 12 hour sun at 110 degrees do on rides. These questions might have some point of one not there.

I'm more into my above issue. Phoenix & Tucson are just not big enough to support one.

Cedar Point & Six Flags of Ohio has Columbus, Cleveland, Akron/Canton, Detriot, Dayton, Erie all within 2 hours. Chicago, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh within 3 hours.

Kings Island has Columbus, Cincinnati, Louisville, Dayton within 2 hours. Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Lexington all within 3 hours.

You need population. Arizona might not have it.

Brilliant plans in our eyes. We are looking at the general fact of putting in a park in Arizona. There is much more to just put in a theme park wherever you want, you know that. Maybe if they happen to have come across the idea, they found problems and stuff we havn't thought of besides high heat?

I highly doubt the heat is an issue. The TX SF parks (FT in particular) get a lot of heat. From what I've heard, a summer day in Houston's 100 degree heat is much less tolerable than a summer day in Arizona's 110 degree heat because of the humidity.

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There aren't enough people in the surronding area to support the park everyday. Sure Phoenix gets tourists, but the park can't live on tourists alone.

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^Another big issue. Though, I don't believe Disney World was in such a great area either. Didn't they build there park in the middle of no where, a giant swamp?

Yea, but because it was such a huge resort complex they built all the attractions around it just because of Disney. But Florida was in a good location since it rarely ever gets below 40. Now Florida is the 4th most populated state (Arizona is 20th). Also, isnt the terrain mainly like http://www.cpluhna.nau.edu/images/domes130rw.jpg I cant see fitting a park on land like that.

Because if there are snakes under S:UF in Georgia, how many rattlesnakes and coyotes could there be under a coaster in Arizona?

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One problem.. you're from Georgia. Our state DOESN'T Look like that. I am from Tucson. Heres a picture of it... http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~mc/photo/tucson.jpg It is a valley, flat, perfect for a park. Tucson is within 1 and a half hours from Phoenix. Heres a picture of Phoenix...http://www.aechelon.com/products/ima...es/phoenix.jpg Tucson almost has a million people (upwards of 900,000.) Flagstaff, Yuma, Prescott and all other smaller towns would draw to it to. Also, Arizona doesn't have like a rattlesnake problem, and coyotes my dear only come out in the late afternoon and thats what a park fence is called.

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Arizona needs a theme park!

Fair play, you could biuld one hell of a theme park in that place though!!!

http://www.cpluhna.nau.edu/images/domes130rw.jpg

Thats if you could find investors to shell out a billion or two... lol

I wouldn't want to walk around a park with that terrain. Walking uphill gets old fast.

Ah yes but my theme park would use lim coasters as monerails to lauch you up and down the hills- no walking! seriously though i have always thought that big parks like SFMM could use coasters as monerails.

Location is everything for a park. The only reason I can think of CF, PKI, and Six Flags survive in Ohio is because 50% of the USA's population is within 500 miles of those parks.

I can think of a couple of reasons- one, the weather. The extreme heat can be difficult on coasters, and stress the materials that they are made out of quite a bit more than you might think. Also, when temperatures are consistently that high, it tends to keep people away from a lot of outdoor activities unless there are a lot of ways to cool off involved. It's hard on the people working, as well as visiting, the park.

Second is the population. As others have mentioned, you may have around a million people there, but there is very little to draw from outside of that. And the vast majority of parks are dependant on the locals visiting, not tourists, which make up a small percentage of visiters at a typical park. And what is a very large percentage of the areas population made of? Seniors and retirees- people who aren't going to be visiting the park on their own.

Want another good example? How busy does Castles and Coasters get? Sure it's small and doesn't have a lot there, but it's going to give you a very good impression of the overall demand that the area is going to have for a park like that, and when it's not real busy most of the time, then it's probably a good sign that similar attractions wouldn't be either.

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