The concept for Disneyland began when Walt Disney was visiting Griffith Park in Los Angeles with his daughters Diane and Sharon. While watching them ride the merry-go-round, he came up with the idea of a place where adults and their children could go and have fun together, though this idea laid dormant for many years.

Walt Disney initially planned to build his theme park on an 11-acre lot across from his studios in Burbank, but he quickly realized the site was far too small for his grand vision. In 1953, he hired the Stanford Research Institute to perform a feasibility study to find the "perfect" location. They recommended Anaheim, California, because of its massive growth potential and its proximity to the newly built Santa Ana Freeway, which provided easy access for the booming post-war population of Los Angeles. Beyond the logistics, the Southern California climate was the primary driver; the consistent sunshine and lack of harsh winters allowed for a year-round operating schedule, which was essential for the park's financial viability. Walt bought a 160-acre orange grove in Anaheim, which offered the "blank slate" he needed to build the separate themed lands that would become the blueprint for every theme park thereafter. The combination of cheap land, a rising highway system, and perfect weather made Anaheim the undisputed choice.