New Orleans Square is a themed land found at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. Based on 19th-century New Orleans, Louisiana, the roughly three-acre area was the first land to be added to Disneyland after the park's opening, at a cost of $18 million. It is exclusive to Disneyland, although a similarly themed area can be found within Adventureland at Tokyo Disneyland.
The word "square" is a bit of a misnomer, since the area does not resemble a traditional urban plaza as much as an intricate series of "streets" that weave around shops, restaurants and the Pirates of the Caribbean show building. At one point, it included the only overnight accommodations in the park open to the public, the now closed Disneyland Dream Suite.[1]
History
Plans to include a New Orleans-themed area were made in the late 1950s as a part of an expansion and the area was even included on a 1958 souvenir map. In 1961–1962, construction began on the land and the attractions.
The land was opened to the public on July 24, 1966, with New Orleans Mayor Victor H. Schiro participating in the dedication ceremony. Schiro announced Walt Disney had been made an honorary citizen of New Orleans; Disney joked that the addition cost as much as the original Louisiana Purchase. Without adjusting for inflation, it actually cost more. The opening ceremony was Walt Disney's last major public appearance at Disneyland before his death in December 1966.[2]
