Do you live in Anaheim because of Disneyland, or vice-versa?

[eighteenth street]

Quick question... if you live in Anaheim, or the immediate region surrounding it, do you live there because you like Disneyland so much? Or, on the other hand, do you think you like Disneyland so much because you live so close to it?

[wendybeth]

Interesting question- I had supposed that many of the SoCal posters just happened to live near DL, but it would be interesting to find out who, if any, actually moved there to be closer to the Mouse. I would in a heartbeat, btw.:D


(I do enjoy my distance to the extent that I probably don't have the Park burnout that many here experience, but I would still love to live in the area).

[€uroMeinke]

My father worked for a Disney subcontractor - so in a sense we did move here to be close to the mouse. But once being here there's a whole lot to the Greater Los Angeles/Southern California area to keep me busy far beyond the theme park.

[lizziebith]

Well I'm a Calif. native...and my old apartment in the hills of Fullerton gave me a great view of the fireworks over DL all summer....but I agree w/Euro: there's a lot more to my CA lifestyle that keeps me here. DL is just the cherry on that piece of cake!

[DreadPirateRoberts]

Like many families, or family came to the area as a result of WWII, which was pre-Disneyland.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

I moved to Los Angeles to be near the film industry. Disneyland ~40 minutes away (depending on traffic) is just a perk.

[Gemini Cricket]

I went to Chapman University because it was closer to Disneyland than Loyola Marymount and UCLA.
:D

True story.

[DreadPirateRoberts]

I went to Chapman University because it was closer to Disneyland than Loyola Marymount and UCLA.
:D

True story.

no way :D

I went to UCSD instead of UCB because the surf is better (and the water is warmer)

True story.

[Ghoulish Delight]

I grew up in LA, an hour plus away from Disneyland. I always loved it, but it was a once-a-year treat. I went to college in OC. It was towards the end of college that CP and I discovered the joys of an AP. So Disneyland is one of the reasons we stayed in OC after I graduated, but only one. Us both having jobs here plus the weather were other important factors. When we move to our condo in Orange, its proximity to the park was definitely an attractive feature.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

We just moved from Irvine to Orange and are now a mere 2 fwy exits away from DL. I would say that in our condo-buying decision, the fact that it was closer was more a bonus than a selling point.

I'm more of a "vice versa" - My move from LA to OC greatly affect my Disneyness. Before that I was a Six Flags Magic Mountain lackey. It was our proximity that got us to get APs, and our APs that made us big fans.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Heehee, didn't see GD's above.

[BarTopDancer]

I was born and raised in Huntington Beach and always loved Disneyland but it was a very super special treat then a regular occurance. At the age of 24 I could safely say that I had been to Disneyland more as an adult than I ever did as a kid.

Staying in OC (or CA for that matter) is a battle for me. But I stay because of friends and family (mainly family). Disneyland is just a perk. Right now I live about 30 minutes away, I want to move further north but not because of Disneyland, but because of the area.

[innerSpaceman]

I have no doubt that a certain someone who POSTS HERE lives close (really close) to Disneyland because he loves it so .... though, by coincidence or not, he moved to Anaheim about the same time that he started working at the Resort.

Since that's where he works and mostly plays, living close to Disneyland is a major boon to his lifestyle ... and there's no really telling whether it was the chicken or the egg in his case.



In my case, living 35 minutes from the Park has nothing to do with where I reside .... but I'm pretty happy I can live beyond the Orange Curtain and still be at Disneyland within an hour of wanting to.

[SzczerbiakManiac]

Do you live in Anaheim because of Disneyland, or vice-versa?Vice-versa. I live in Disneyland because of Anaheim. :p

[Moonliner]

Since that's where he works and mostly

I'm a big fan of working close to home. In fact last time I went job hunting I only looked at places 20min or less away. I've done the hour+ commute thing and it sux's.

Living just a quick 46 hour drive from the park is a coincidence.

[MickeyLumbo]

Ma and Pa Lumbo were teenagers with little money when they were married. they searched for new housing that was afordable. in the middle of orange fields, near a large and dusty construction site, they bought my childhood home for $8,000. soon, the frontyard was landscaped with the north berm. a few years later, i was old enough to discover my very own playground (that i continue to share with many others).

did i ever take being next door for granted?

never!:snap:

[eighteenth street]

Vice-versa. I live in Disneyland because of Anaheim. :p

Yeah, I realized that was a little wacky as soon as I hit "submit." :cool:

[Isaac]

I moved to Anaheim cause it was an opportunity to get the hell out of my parent's place.
Now that I work at the DLR my commute is much shorter.

[JWBear]

I (mostly) grew up in OC. Disneyland was a part of my childhood. When I was still living in OC, and had an AP, I went all the time. Since I’ve moved to Lakewood, I hardly ever go. I didn’t renew my AP when it expired.

[Disneyphile]

I moved to SoCal for the same reason as LSPE (film), however we admittedly moved down to Garden Grove to be a mere 5 minutes from DL. :)

[Matterhorn Fan]

I neither live in Anaheim because of Disneyland, nor live in Disneyland because of Anaheim.

The last time I went to Disneyland, I didn't have much fun. It was too crowded. It seems that once one has the AP mentality, it doesn't go away.

[Not Afraid]

I grew up going to DL regularly as a resident of Huntinton Beach, but I've always lived somewhere in So Cal. I reside here because I love it here. There was an entire 10 years of my life that I didn't go, or even think about DL, so it's hasn't done much to keep me in So Cal. However, in the past 5 years, I've had good reason to stay in So Cal because of DL and it does factor into the minuses when I look at moving to another area.

[RStar]

I'm second generation So Cal kid. When I was growing up in West Covina we went once a year. From my first year. Then I moved to OC, and because it was closer, and I was dating my now wife, we went much more often. Then when our kids were older and passes cheeper, we became APs.

So yes, we go more often because we are 5 minutes away (depending on trafic ;) :D ) but I would now say that I would not move away BECAUSE of Disneyland.

And yes, I did live in Anahiem for a few years, but now I live in Garden Grove (a block from the Anahiem border).

[mistyisjafo]

I grew up in the OC and I currently live in the city of Orange. The Park is more like my own personal playground. A PARK really. haha. But no I don't live in Orange because of it. I live here cuz it snows in other states. YUCK!

[lashbear]

I keep coming back to America instead of other overseas countries because of Disneyland.

OK, there was Japan, but they have one too so there ! :D

[wolfy999]

I have been here, 2 miles from DL since I was 8 years old, and that's a really long time! But my hubby and myself have been discussing retiring somewhere else, and it always seems that we just can't pick a place we both agree on, being that I want to stay warm and he wants cold. Guess what? Looks like we staying here...main influence...warm and DL!

[RStar]

Being a native Californian, perhaps it's me, but why would anyone want to live in the cold? Or for that matter, in the desert in the heat?

I'd much rather live where the mean temp is 70*F any day! (That temp is a guess, I don't really know what it is, but it's nice.)

Oh, and my mom and her sister moved back here from Georgia after 16 years so they could be closer to us, back in CA where they were born and raised, and to be close to DL (they both got APs as soon as they got here!).

[Moonliner]

Being a native Californian, perhaps it's me, but why would anyone want to live (http://www.americaslibrary.gov/assets/jb/progress/jb_progress_cherry_2_e.jpg)in the cold (http://web.mit.edu/kayla/Public/Backgrounds/Snow%20Trees.JPG)? Or for that matter, in the desert in the heat?

I'd much rather live where the mean temp is 70*F (http://www.jimlawrence.net/PICS/Fallcolors.jpg) any day! (That temp is a guess, I don't really know what it is, but it's nice.)

Oh, and my mom and her sister moved back here from Georgia after 16 years so they could be closer to us, back in CA where they were born and raised, and to be close to DL (they both got APs as soon as they got here!).

Ohh I don't know...

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I keep thinking that one day we're going to move far away and not come back for a few years. When we do finally return, all the AP grit will have washed away and DL will be more magical than ever.

Thing is, it ain't gonna happen.

[€uroMeinke]

I keep thinking that one day we're going to move far away and not come back for a few years. When we do finally return, all the AP grit will have washed away and DL will be more magical than ever.

Thing is, it ain't gonna happen.

That's what foreign Disney parks are for - of course, I'd move to Paris in an instant...

[Prudence]

I'd move to Anaheim because of Disneyland. Well, that and because at any given moment it's probably not raining.

[Moonliner]

I keep thinking that one day we're going to move far away and not come back for a few years. When we do finally return, all the AP grit will have washed away and DL will be more magical than ever.

Thing is, it ain't gonna happen.

It is true that when you only make it to the park every few years on average you see it with different eyes. Many of the things regulars mention such as strollers and broken this-and-that's don't even register for me. Give me open attractions plus nice weather and I'm good to go.