How Disneyland and Fort Collins are Surprisingly Related
Did you know that Fort Collins inspired Disneyland's Main Street U.S.A.? If yes, keep reading for a quick refresher on the awesome story. If no, you should definitely keep reading to get educated about Fort Collin's history. We have written about this topic before, so if you want to check out another interesting article, click here.
It all started with Harper Goff, who grew up in Fort Collins. In 1951, Goff met Walt Disney in London by chance. The two men bonded over their passion for trains and began working together.
While designing Main Street U.S.A., Disney wanted to use buildings from his hometown of Marceline, Missouri. However, the design was slightly changed once Disney decided that he wanted more two-story buildings for more storage space. Goff then went back to Fort Collins to take some photos of larger, two-story buildings. According to Goff, Fort Collins had more legit, fancy structures when he explained that his hometown had "banks that looked like banks." He also said in an interview that Disneyland's City Hall and the Bank building were copied from the original structures in Fort Collins. Buildings from both Marceline and Fort Collins then came together to create the infamous Main Street U.S.A that we know today.
Now that you know this awesome story, try looking up photos of Main Street U.S.A. (or even better, go visit) to see if you can find any resemblance to Fort Collins. You can also follow the link here to see some old photos of Fort Collins buildings, some of which are still standing today!