Disney built Disneyland around a family farm that refused a $90 million offer
The Fujishige family farm in Anaheim, California, remained a local fixture for decades despite being surrounded by the expansion of Disneyland. The family consistently rejected multi-million dollar offers to sell their land, preserving a piece of agricultural history amidst rapid commercial development.
Why it matters
The story highlights the tension between rapid corporate expansion and individual property rights, as well as the historical context of Japanese American land ownership in California.
For decades, a small family farm stood next to Disneyland in Anaheim, California. While the theme park expanded around it, the Fujishige family continued to grow strawberries, vegetables and herbs on their land.The farm had become an unusual sight in an area increasingly shaped by Disney and tourism. According to SF Gate,By the 1990s, the family’s produce stand was still selling fresh strawberries and vegetables to locals and visitors, even as the value of the land rose sharply.The Fujishige family had repeatedly rejected offers to sell the property. Disney executives wanted the land as the company planned further development around Disneyland. But Hiroshi Fujishige remained firm about keeping the farm. “This land means quite a bit to me. My brother died for it.” Fujishige told the Los Angeles Times in 1991.Hiroshi and his brother Masao were born in Los Angeles in the 1920s to Japanese parents.
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