First off, this is yet another incorrect use of the word "bias." We all have bias for one thing or another. If you disagree with people who love the park, that's fine, but the only thing I'm tired of is the holy wars that are brought up over it.
As we've generally pointed out lately, bigger/steeper/faster doesn't always mean better. I personally like Apollo better than Magnum as well, but the fact is that Magnum has a reputation among enthusiasts. You can't build that in one season. Magnum has classic status because it's been around for 11 years.
Regarding the polls, they aren't all taken by people from Ohio and Michigan, so clearly the park's reputation is a national phenomenon. The only parks that I've been to that offer at least three gotta-ride-again coasters are BGW and SFGAm. At Cedar Point I can ride Raptor, Magnum and Millennium Force all day, and still have additional fun on the classic Gemini, Blue Streak, Wildcat and even Corkscrew.
Does park placement matter? Perhaps to some degree. Even if Cedar Point was a poorly run park, it has a location that no other park has. When you get out to that peninsula, the rest of the world doesn't exist. You can't see the interstate or a large metro area; It's just you, the park, the lake and the bay.
You've also got the history to factor in there. Many point fanatics have had the park as a part of their life since birth. How many parks can you go to where guests have been going there for 30 years or more (yes, I know there are some, but you get the idea).
Are there better parks out there? I don't know, I haven't been to enough of them. I would certainly place BGW up there as one of the best, but it offers a completely different experience, just as a Disney or Universal park offers something different from a Busch park.
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Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com