This question is for Robert but also for others too I read Robert’s article about which cities could support a new theme park and I saw the list Robert came up with I liked the list and I like the last 2 choices. Just wondering when will we see any new theme parks in other US cities. When the economy gets better because the economy is not really booming great for the theme park industry right? That’s one the important things a US city has to have is a great economy to house a good sized local theme park. I wanted to know what’s the likelyhood between Indy and Raleigh who is the winner in terms of having a theme park of their own in the next decade or so? What do other US cities have in the future in terms of having their own future I know they didn’t make your final 2 top spots in terms of likely US cities but does Denver which will lose their Elitch Gardens in the future not sure the likelyhood of being relocated in the state, Phoenix, Houston-America’s fourth largest city, Detroit, Seattle, Portland, I will throw in Philly too. I cannot forget Miami just in case the indoor entertainment mall American Dream plan happens to fail.
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So if you were to bet in the next decade or so out of all the US cities I just mentioned the Raleigh/the research triangle is likely to receive an amusement park that’s not very big but medium in size? Since it is a growing metro area?
Actually, I think Phoenix/Scottsdale and Las Vegas are more like to get new theme parks sooner. I would also say New York City is ripe for another theme park, but Nickelodeon Universe and Legoland might fit the bill for a while.
Between Indy and Raleigh, the NC Capital is the better of the 2 markets, but that doesn't mean someone will ever put a theme park there, and I wouldn't bet a penny on a park being built there in the next decade.
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Indy already has 2 pretty big theme parks within a reasonable driving distance - Holiday World <3 hours and Kings Island <2 hours (not to mention Kentucky Kingdom @2.5 hours away). Trying to build a theme park in Indianapolis would be a tough proposition with less than 1 million people living in the city limits and just over 2 million total residing within its metro area. With other nearby cities with their own theme parks (Chicago, St. Louis, Louisville, and Cincinnati), there's just not enough people to warrant a new park. The population of Raleigh proper is less than half a million, but when you consider all of the Triangle, the population of the metro area is over 2 million.
Raleigh is a more interesting spot. The Research Triangle is one of the fastest growing metro areas in the US, and the closest theme parks to Raleigh are Busch Gardens Williamsburg (@3 hours), Kings Dominion(<3 hours), and Carowinds (@2.5 hours). However, the failure of Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, which tried to tap the Triangle as well as Wilmington and other metro areas in the Carolinas, would make any developer hesitant.