What is up with Six Flags!

SFDL Fan....I used numbers to back up what I was saying...why don't you do the same.

The approximate population draw for sfdl (that i found) is 6,318,682 people.  This population includes toronto and many of the coutnies around darien lake.  That, imo is pretty good- and by the way toronto is the fifth largest city reigon in north america.....so you'd think they'd want sfdl to be like the fifth largest park....but it's not.   By the way if you don't believe me for ny state population info go to http://quickfacts.census.gov/gfd/maps/new_york_map.html

and for the info on toronto go to www.city.toronto.on.ca/economic_profile/

-----------------
"who needs drugs when you have coasters...they're like a natural high"

It is a problem that Toronto is 2 hours a way from "it's" park

Sorry about not backing everythig up with numbers I didn't really have time to go surfing looking for the numbers. Thanks Amusementparkfanatic85 for getting those numbers. 6,318,682 people living near SFDL Don't tell me that SFDL dosen't have the potential to have a very high attendance!

One question would be, do the people in Toronto travel to SFDL? What kind of numbers does the park pull in from that, or other cities? This is, of course, an exercise in pure, unfounded speculation, but I'd guess that part of the calculation that the upper echelons at Six Flags makes includes not only the potential market area but a look at the number of people the park currently draws from that area and how many they could reasonably expect to pull in. Great Adventure or Worlds of Adventure draw in lots of locals plus lots of tourists. Elitch's, or SFDL, or whichever park, may be drawing pretty much every local they can reasonable expect to pull in, and the number of tourists the park can reasonably expect to pull in may not represent a sufficient increase to justify expensive ride installations.

On the other hand, the upper echelons may just figure they love Great Adventure, Great America, and Magic Mountain the most, and the others can suffer-- who knows?

If you sit and think about it for a minute, it's actually a viscious cycle.  Follow me here:  SFKK gets big attraction, draws in some crowd, then doesn't add anything for several years.  During those several years, attendance goes back down because everyone is tired of riding the same old thing over and over and waiting forever to do it.  Then with attendance down, they really can't afford a new investment like a 4-D or X-Flight clone so we end up waiting around for a new goody.   Then, after some period of time, perhaps they add a new attraction/investment to the park, attendance goes up a bit (even after a hike in admissions) and the cycle begins all over again.  SFKK is just in the lower part of that slump where we're waiting for ride now.  If people were more "loyal" (and I use that term very loosely) to a park, then maybe it would be a bit different.  (who knows) 
-----------------
God please let SFKK get something in 2002. ANYTHING!!

Yes, people travel to sfdl from toronto/canada.  Almost every time i'm there i see canadian (particuarly ontario) liscense plates.  Also, i would imagine that alot of them would stay at the camp grounds/hotel.  And also, a ton of out of towners go to the concerts and stay at the park during the day.
-----------------
"who needs drugs when you have coasters...they're like a natural high"

APF85: I dont know HOW you came up with that random figure of 6,318,682! You cant say that Toronto is the 5th largest NAm region and then use that figure! Why not? Because the 2000 US Census says
1. New York--Northern New Jersey--Long Island, NY--NJ--CT--PA CMSA 21,199,865
2. Los Angeles--Riverside--Orange County, CA CMSA 16,373,645
3. Chicago--Gary--Kenosha, IL--IN--WI CMSA 9,157,540
4. Washington--Baltimore, DC--MD--VA--WV CMSA 7,608,070
5. San Francisco--Oakland--San Jose, CA CMSA 7,039,362

Which are all more than your figure. Also, I note that the website you reference notes that this "centre" includes a 100 mile radius. Well at least half of that radius would be in the opposite direction of SFDL an thus unlikely to be affected (especially with Wonderland closer).

Also the Buffalo and Rochester metro areas COMBINED are only comparable to the Cleveland Metro area...and that is negelecting Pittsburgh. I know you want to believe it, but the market just isnt there. Especially not compared to SFGAdv, SFMM, SFGAm, SFA, and SFMW!
jeremy
-------------
"When I take action I'm not going to fire a $2 million missile at a $10 empty tent and hit a camel in the butt. It's going to be decisive." GWB

Here are the top 50 metroplex populations in the US as of 2000.  This alone tells you why some parks get more expansion than others.   Louisville (Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom) is way down the list.  Incidentally, Houston is pretty neck and neck with the Dallas area, yet SFAW gets far more neglect than SFOT.
1.
New York–Nrthn. New Jersey–Long Island, NY–NJ–CT–PA CMSA
21,199,865 

2.
Los Angeles–Riverside–Orange County, CA CMSA
16,373,645 

3.
Chicago–Gary–Kenosha, IL–IN–WI CMSA
9,157,540 

4..
Washington–Baltimore, DC–MD–VA–WV CMSA
7,608,070 

5.
San Francisco–Oakland–San Jose, CA CMSA
7,039,362 

6.
Philadelphia–Wilmington–Atlantic City, PA–NJ–DE–MD CMSA
6,188,463 

7.
Boston–Worcester–Lawrence, MA–NH–ME–CT CMSA
5,819,100 

8.
Detroit–Ann Arbor–Flint, MI CMSA
5,456,428 

9.
Dallas–Fort Worth, TX CMSA
5,221,801 

10.
Houston–Galveston–Brazoria, TX CMSA
4,669,571 

11.
Atlanta, GA MSA
4,112,198 

12.
Miami–Fort Lauderdale, FL CMSA
3,876,380 

13.
Seattle–Tacoma–Bremerton, WA CMSA
3,554,760 

14.
Phoenix–Mesa, AZ MSA
3,251,876 

15.
Minneapolis–St. Paul, MN–WI MSA
2,968,806 

16.
Cleveland–Akron, OH CMSA
2,945,831 

17.
San Diego, CA MSA
2,813,833 

18.
St. Louis, MO–IL MSA
2,603,607 

19.
Denver–Boulder–Greeley, CO CMSA
2,581,506 

20.
San Juan–Caguas–Arecibo, PR CMSA
2,450,292 

21.
Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater, FL MSA
2,395,997 

22.
Pittsburgh, PA MSA
2,358,695 

23.
Portland–Salem, OR–WA CMSA
2,265,223 

24.
Cincinnati–Hamilton, OH–KY–IN CMSA
1,979,202 

25.
Sacramento–Yolo, CA CMSA
1,796,857 

26.
Kansas City, MO–KS MSA
1,776,062 

27.
Milwaukee–Racine, WI CMSA
1,689,572 

28.
Orlando, FL MSA
1,644,561 

29.
Indianapolis, IN MSA
1,607,486 

30.
San Antonio, TX MSA
1,592,383 

31.
Norfolk–Virginia Beach–Newport News, VA–NC MSA
1,569,541 

32.
Las Vegas, NV–AZ MSA
1,563,282 

33.
Columbus, OH MSA
1,540,157 

34.
Charlotte–Gastonia–Rock Hill, NC–SC MSA
1,499,293 

35.
New Orleans, LA MSA
1,337,726 

36.
Salt Lake City–Ogden, UT MSA
1,333,914 

37.
Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point, NC MSA
1,251,509 

38.
Austin–San Marcos, TX MSA
1,249,763 

39.
Nashville, TN MSA
1,231,311 

40.
Providence–Fall River–Warwick, RI–MA MSA
1,188,613 

41.
Raleigh–Durham–Chapel Hill, NC MSA
1,187,941 

42.
Hartford, CT MSA
1,183,110 

43.
Buffalo–Niagara Falls, NY MSA
1,170,111 

44.
Memphis, TN–AR–MS MSA
1,135,614 

45.
West Palm Beach–Boca Raton, FL MSA
1,131,184 

46.
Jacksonville, FL MSA
1,100,491 

47.
Rochester, NY MSA
1,098,201 

48.
Grand Rapids–Muskegon–Holland, MI MSA
1,088,514 

49.
Oklahoma City, OK MSA
1,083,346 

50.
Louisville, KY–IN MSA
1,025,598

*** This post was edited by Fierce Pancake on 10/8/2001. ***

And cuz I love my park...Lets not forget that all of the Milwaukee metro as well as most of the Chicago metro is less than an hour from SFGAm too :-)

I think this thread has skewed quite a bit..  Pancake's numbers should be sufficient to prove the point.  Hopefully, this can move onward and upward instead of all the speculatory comments from people about what parks draw how many people from how many areas.
-----------------
I rode "X" and never went upside down.