Walt Disney worked very hard to run his movie studio. He liked to spend weekends with his two daughters. The family liked going to carnivals and fairs. Mr. Disney wanted to build a place that had all of the fun of the traveling fairs where parents and children could ride together. That is how Mr. Disney got the idea for Disneyland. In 1953, Disney talked to people at Stanford University. He asked them to find a place that would be a good place to build his park. The Stanford people recommended an orange grove for sale in Anaheim, a farming area south of Los Angeles. Mr. Disney's friends thought the idea was a crazy one. He was sure that his dream would be a good one. After selling land that he loved very much in Palm Springs to help pay for the park, the building of Disneyland began in 1954. He also used a weekly television show called "Disneyland" to make people want to see his park. In only one year, Disneyland Park was open.