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Houston's Next Theme Park Amusement Park


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I was wondering if one of these developers are looking at the Houston market for another theme park. I don't know if it will happen or not but i certainly hope it does. Can anyone tell me any information on if it is true or not. Thanks

CincoRanch-Houston-Resident

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I was wondering if one of these developers are looking at the Houston market for another theme park. I don't know if it will happen or not but i certainly hope it does. Can anyone tell me any information on if it is true or not. Thanks

CincoRanch-Houston-Resident

Well, The "Theme" Park market isn't too broad right now...

The only one recently built was in Orlando, by Universal Studios..

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I don't know if it's just urban legend, but I have heard more than a few times over the years that Disney owns a large chunk of land up in the Huntsville area.

That's a really old rumor, with some truth to it. In the late 1970s/very early 1980s Disney looked at building in the Huntsville/Conroe area. I don't think they ever purchased any land though, because around 1983-1984 they proposed building a park between Beaumont and Liberty. I know that this was a pretty serious proposal, and several large hotels were built in Beaumont (Hilton, Holiday Inn) in anticipation of the Disney project. The project died when the real estate market in the area crashed and Houston's 1970s oil boom came to an abrupt end.

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This rumor is almost as old as Texas is. I have heard locations like the hills just West of Austin. I have heard somewhere South of Houston near 288. I have heard Plantersville on the site of the Renaissance Fair. The rumor seems to remain the same despite the location. Disney is coming so thats why they built the Home Depot or the big hotel.

It would make sense from Disney's perspective to build a major park in the central United States. Why not have it in the most populated central state near the most populated city of that state?

I think opposition comes from our "friends" in Arlington. Six Flags will not stand to have a major competitor in its home state. I feel like this is the holdup. Although Six Flags corporate could care less about maintaining Astroworld, they will not stand to see a Disney Franchise set up in Texas taking precious dollars from its flagship park.

It's a pissing match and I feel like Six Flags is winning.

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Well I know that two locations (the Huntsville/Conroe area) and the Liberty County one were visited on multiple occassions by Disney representatives and discussions were occuring with local officials about building there. In the case of the Liberty County location, a close friend of my family's was involved in some of the negotiations with Disney on the deal. This proposal was also heavilly reported in the media and the reports were verfied by Disney to be true. So it's not all just rumor. However, it has been twenty years since the last real reports of Disney looking at building a park in Texas have happened (to my knowledge).

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This rumor is almost as old as Texas is.  I have heard locations like the hills just West of Austin.  I have heard somewhere South of Houston near 288.  I have heard Plantersville on the site of the Renaissance Fair.  The rumor seems to remain the same despite the location.  Disney is coming so thats why they built the Home Depot or the big hotel.

It would make sense from Disney's perspective to build a major park in the central United States.  Why not have it in the most populated central state near the most populated city of that state?

I think opposition comes from our "friends" in Arlington.  Six Flags will not stand to have a major competitor in its home state.  I feel like this is the holdup.  Although Six Flags corporate could care less about maintaining Astroworld, they will not stand to see a Disney Franchise set up in Texas taking precious dollars from its flagship park.

It's a pissing match and I feel like Six Flags is winning.

Maybe its the fact Six Flags has roller coasters, and my boys don't wanna go to Disney World cause its "Gay"...

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I think Disney should come here and take advantage of the open space still available in some areas.

I propose a location like Sealy, Hempstead, Rosenberg, or almost anywhere in Brazoria county. Those locations could get a large amount of people from San Antonio and Austin. Especially Sealy or even Columbus.

On the other hand, a Disney park, with all it's fairy-taleness and perfection may fit best in the Woodlands ;)

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HAHAHA, how I love the Internet......

After thinking back on all the times I personally heard this over the years, I decided to google "Texas and Disney" to see what came up. Sure enough, much as there are sites dedicated to topics such as Bob and Jane's recent trip to Alaska, there are sites dedicated to Texas Disney rumours:

http://shamu.tamu.edu/~mickey/DisTex.html

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Ha! That website is kind of funny. I didn't realize there were any rumors outside of the Houston/Southeast Texas area. Midland? Get real! That place is like the inside of an oven nearly six months of the year with no shade and not the least bit scenic (unless you find miles and miles of dirt pretty).

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I found this post by a member of the wesbsite, some of what he or she says is QUITE true:

Let the rumours stop and the truth begin

by KATYRESIDENT

I have considerable proof that the Disey corporation is constructing a large Florida-like theme park immediately west of Grand Parkway, (99) near Katy Mills. What knowledge comes behnd this? As follows:

1) Katy is a booming area that simply invites massive theme parks. There are already numerous supplemental attractions such as Forbidden Gardens, Katy Mills, Indigo Earth, a large Cinemark movie theater, a gorgeous new library and high school, as well as botanical gardens.

2) I am involved in the real estate business in Houston and there is a GREAT deal of anonymous purchasing going on. I don't know who, but it smells like a mouse.

3) I-10 is undergoing a renovation that rivals the great freeways of Los Angeles. I have lived in or near Katy my entire life and never have I felt the need for a highway QUITE this large.

4) Outdoor sports are experiencing a massive renaissance. Enough to constitute an attraction in itself. A dozen or so first class golf courses are being constructed or have already been built. The tennis scene is thriving. New red clay courts have been built near the Mills and Taylor High School seems to always win state.

5) George Bush Intercontinental Airport is undergoing a renovation that will put it in league of Heathrow, LAX, JFK, O'hare, Hartsfeld, Narita, De Gaulle, and Frankfurt.

THIS IS AMPLE EVIDENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AMPLE!

-A lifetime Katy, TX resident.

Posted on Aug 9, 2004, 2:37 PM

from IP address 24.242.192.124

I think she is right in many points. Tell me if I am wrong on this.

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I-10 is undergoing a renovation that rivals the great freeways of Los Angeles. I have lived in or near Katy my entire life and never have I felt the need for a highway QUITE this large.

5) George Bush Intercontinental Airport is undergoing a renovation that will put it in league of Heathrow, LAX, JFK, O'hare, Hartsfeld, Narita, De Gaulle, and Frankfurt.

THIS IS AMPLE EVIDENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AMPLE!

Well on the first point, the massive Katy Freeway expansion has been in the works for a long time. Granted, it's going to be built about twice the size I wish it was going to be, with all of the people rushing to destroy the Katy Prarie and snap up cheap houses in neighborhoods that all look alike (and then bitch about their horrible commute times) it's probably necessary to build it that big, Disney or not.

As for the IAH expansion, saying it will be in the league of LHR, LAX, JFK, ORD, ATL, NRT, CDG, or FRA is a bit much. Still, a lot of capacity is being added, but most of the terminal expansion is going to be for Continental, which is already busting at the seams up there and desperately needs the space. The air traffic is there to justify most of the expansion without Disney here. The only exception would be Terminal A, which was rebuilt a few years ago - with the demise of TWA, impending death of US Airways, and reduction in the number of Delta flights (no more service to DFW, and Delta is eventually moving to Terminal C) there's going to be quite a few extra gates over there.

I think the person who wrote this is neglecting the fact that the Houston area has been growing, and air traffic to Houston has been growing for a number of years.

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1) Katy is a booming area that simply invites massive theme parks. There are already numerous supplemental attractions such as Forbidden Gardens, Katy Mills, Indigo Earth, a large Cinemark movie theater, a gorgeous new library and high school, as well as botanical gardens.

Yeah, last vacation I went on I was just dying to visit the gorgeous new high schools and libraries in Alaska. Not to mention their local movie multiplex. Those amenities might be nice for the local residents but I think tourists could care less about them.

This woman is nuts if she thinks this is proof as she says that Disney is coming here. I think she needs to get out a little more often into the real world.

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Well then take out the high school and megaplex, then what do you get?

A mall and a few other attractions. Big deal. There are a lot of people that live out there and a lot of this development would be there regardless because there's a large population base that's fairly afluent.

PROOF to me would be Disney buying up land (yes I know she makes mention there is a lot of land being purchased) and confirmation from Disney itself that it is looking to expand here (as happened in some of the earlier rumored Disney locations). Until that happens, all of this is speculation, and much of it very wishful thinking. The land purchases could be anything -- more than likely it's just being purchased for more housing and shopping centers and the developer isn't ready to announce the project yet.

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4) Outdoor sports are experiencing a massive renaissance. Enough to constitute an attraction in itself. A dozen or so first class golf courses are being constructed or have already been built. The tennis scene is thriving. New red clay courts have been built near the Mills and Taylor High School seems to always win state.

Oooh oooh oooh! How did I miss this one?!? OMG when I was a freshman in college in 1993 my high school alma matter's basketball team went to the state tournament. It was the first time ever any team sport from our school went that far. I wonder if that means Six Flags is going to build a new theme park in the rural Southeast Texas town I grew up in?

PLEASE... what do new golf courses (which go in with every large master planned suburban development in this city) and thriving high school sports have to do with Disney building a park here? Do you really think Walt Disney cared a thing about the Anaheim and Orlando high school sports records when he picked out the locations for the two parks they have built in the US?

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