KEY OC DATES: 1920—Walter and Cordelia Knott establish their berry farm in Buena Park and set up a roadside stand three years later. 1940—Opening of Ghost Town, marking the start of Knott’s evolution into a tourist attraction and theme park.
LEGACY LEADERSHIP: Walter Knott, a farmer and entrepreneur, transformed a roadside berry stand into a theme park. He commercialized the boysenberry, expanded into foodservice through the iconic Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant and created Ghost Town to preserve Western history while attracting visitors.
HQ: Buena Park
OC SIGNIFICANCE: Helped establish Buena Park as a tourism destination with a blend of themed entertainment, dining and retail experiences. Continues to drive tourism spending that supports local hotels, restaurants and businesses throughout North Orange County. Southern California’s second most visited theme park destination after Disneyland. Also, home to Knott’s Soak City Waterpark and Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel.
DEFINING MOMENTS: In 1968, the family fenced off the park and began charging for admission. The move marked Knott’s evolution from a roadside attraction into a major revenue-generating entertainment business. In 1997, the Knott family sold the park to Ohio-based Cedar Fair LP. Ken Knott, grandson of Walter and Cordelia Knott, told the Business Journal the family lacked the capital needed to expand and keep pace with larger competitors without taking on debt—a step it was unwilling to take. “That’s how we made the decision that it was time to find a partner, sell or merge,” he said. In mid-2024, Cedar Fair merged with Magic Mountain-owner Six Flags.
BY THE NUMBERS: 4.5M visitors in 2025, up 6.5%
QUOTABLE: “We started out to have the best berry farm, and perhaps the biggest berry farm in California … and no intention of getting into all this other business, but goals change as you go along and the depression was a blessing in disguise.” — Walter Knott
FUN FACT: Walter Knott rescued a nearly forgotten berry vine from an Anaheim ditch in the 1930s and turned it into a signature crop that would put his Buena Park farm on the map. The sweet-tart hybrid berry, named after its creator Rudolph Boysen, became the foundation of Knott’s jams, pies and an annual festival that draws thousands each year.
