Categorizing the Six Flags parks

Why do you feel the need to categorize the parks? Why are there only three tiers? Why not 4? Why not 2? This discussion is completely arbitrary.

However, if you want to look at parks so you can predict future growth, then look at past expansion and past attendance.

I don't have attendance figures on hand, but expansion:

2000
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SFMM: Goliath
SFNE: S:Ros, Flashback, Poison Ivy
SFMW: Cobra, Medusa West
SFWoA: BKF, Roadrunner, S:UE, Villian
SFFT: SKC
SFA: S:Ros
SFStL: Boss
SFKK: Roadrunner

2001
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SFA: Batwing
SFGAm: Deja Vu, V2
SFoG: Deja Vu
SFGAdv.: Nitro
SFMW: V2
SFOT: Titan, Wile E. Coyote
SFWoA: X-Flight
SFMM: Deja Vu, X, Goliath Jr. (I know X opened 2002, but it was planned for 2001)

2002
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SFNE: Floorless
SFoG: S:UF (that abbev. looks way too much like SUE)

So you know the expression "Put your moeny where you mouth is"? Well, look at which mouths Premier is putting their money in.
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The legend lives!

Six Flags focuses on a demographic/geographic location that "their" braintrusts decided would bring back profit from investment. Clearly the parks that have been experiencing major growth are those that SF considers "potential" Flagships if not already deemed so. SFWoA,SFDAdv,SFA,SFNE,SFoT,SFoG,SFMM come to mind.

Smaller parks with the SF moniker would come in next: SFDL, SFMW, SFEG,etc

Third tier would ber those that are recently acqired properties: Enchanted Village,Frontier,Wyandot etc

Just my opinion

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My other car is a Giovanola!

I was waiting for a little bit of eloquence...LoadedG, you hit it right on the spot.  I couldn't agree more.
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My site is better than ever!

Isn't SFGAm the second largest Six Flags Park, behind MM?
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SFGAm 2003: B&M Flyer!?!?!

Coasterwise?
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SFGAm 2003: B&M Flyer!?!?!

I think its SFMM, SFGadv, then SFGA 
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SROS #1
Nitro #2
Lighting Racer #3
Dueling Dragons - Fire #4
Medusa #5

Nope they both have 11 :)
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SFGAm 2003: B&M Flyer!?!?!

So, would that make it a tie?
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SFGAm 2003: B&M Flyer!?!?!

Here is how I rate them:
Tier 1: SFGAm, SFGAdv, SFMM, SFOG, WB Movie World Madrid ( theming wise, its on par with Universal and Disney, ride wise, with the a forementioned parks ), SFOT
Tier 2: SF Holland ( got huge expansions and its continues next year with Goliath ), WB Movie World Germany, SFWOA, SFStl, SFFT, SFMW
Between Tier 2 and 3: SF Belgium, La Ronde, SF Mexico, SFNE
Tier 3: Great Escape, Enchanted Village, the 3 Walibi parks in France, Bellewaerde in Belgium, SFEG, SFAW, SFKK, Wyandot Lake, Frontier City
Tell me if I forgot any!

*** This post was edited by Absimilliard on 2/3/2002. ***

Isn't this a list or vs. topic? Why must people constantly pit one park versus another? What does it matter? This makes me so angry, so now I must defend my park (yes, I'm contradicting myself).

Mamba, you're completely wrong about SFA. Roar and Wild One are original coasters, and Two Face is the only Invertigo in the Six Flags Chain. Batwing was created at the same time as X-Flight. So what? You'd have a very hard time going to any major park that doesn't have at least one cloned coaster.

This topic is totally arbitrary and completely useless, given the variation in opinions.  Plus, all the stinkin' abbreviations are giving me a headache.  This topic is further proof that opinions are like a-holes, everybody has one.

Its the offseason discussions like this are going to pop up regardless if you think its warranted.  I know a bunch of people have said this in the past, but it looks like it needs to be repeated.  If you think the topic is pointless and shouldn't exist then don't post, it just moves the topic to the top of the boards. 

Now, with that being said I'll join in on this harmless fun of trying to guess where the United States Six Flags' parks fit in in the pecking order.  My list probably isn't accurate, but from what I've read and seen over the past couple of years this is how I see it.

Flagships: Magic Mountain, Great America, Over Texas, and Worlds of Adventure.

First Tier: Great Adventure, Over Georigia, and New England

Second Tier: America, St. Louis, Darien Lake, Marine World, and Fiesta Texas

Third Tier: Elitch Gardens, Astroworld, and Kentucky Kingdom

I'm probably missing a few, but those are the ones that I have at least a little bit of knowledge about.

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Just wait till next year!

Valleyfair fan, I agree with most of what you listed. Despite what most people think, SFNJ is not flagship quality. The maintenance and upkeep in the park is horrible not to mention the best example of poorly operated rides. The rides are not even top notch in parallel to SFMM's. This is not a bash mind you all, as we know the park is still above average. Nitro, Medusa, and Batman The Ride keep this park in notable mention and even more if B&R:The Chiller go through finishing the lap bar retrofit surgery.

Oh come on KRaX...SFMM would love to have many of the rides that Great Adventure has. Does Magic Mountain have a TopSpin, Jump, Chaos, Mad House, Breakdance, Frisbee, or Evolution? No. Does MM have 3 B&M's? No. Does MM have a safari? No. Geez, I'm getting upset again...

Intamin Fan: Sure Magic Mountain would do well to add a couple of those rides that you mentioned.

But if you can say that, then why not speak of all of the good coasters that SFMM has and SFGadv doesn't.

In a sense they both dominate in seperate categories, SFGadv in flat rides and SFMM in coasters.

Either way, they both seem qualified as flagship parks.  End of story there

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Xcelerator-
0-82 in 2.3 seconds! =Wow!

I figured this would become another park war fiasco. Six Flags no longer has a "flagship". They make decisions to maximize profit, and expand the parks where they see the most potential business. The larger markets will get the larger investments nine times out of ten, but I fail to see how that makes them "top tier".
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Have you ever considered that maybe it's not the park that's the problem, but YOU?

Great Adventure not a flagship??????? The blasted Six Flags Headquarters is located there for sheeps sake! 

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CoasterFanMatt said:
"But if you can say that, then why not speak of all of the good coasters that SFMM has and SFGadv doesn't."

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Okay, let's do that!
Riddler's Revenge
X
Okay...I'm DONE!
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"Nobody writes about the planes that land." Steve Salerno Washington Times 7-10-01

While Gread Adventure may be a flagship park, corporate is in Oklahoma City.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

who cares which is better, or which is flagship and which isnt.  Ive been to MM(before X and dejavu were built), and truthfully my home park SFGrAdv was pretty much just as good IMO.  Riddler is great, I agree, but other than that the woodies werent much, batman is the same, Viper and GASM are pretty much identical rides, Nitro is better than goliath, and i'd rather ride BR:TC than superman.  Oh and you dont have a medusa, or anything similar.  But it really dont matter, we should all be happy if we have a top quality park nearby. Even though this is off the topic, CP is the best park anyways...lol