Six Flags Theme Parks
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| Public | |
| Traded as | : SIX |
| Industry | Theme park operator |
| Founded | August 5, 1961 |
| Headquarters | Grand Prairie, Texas, U.S. |
|
Number of locations
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20 |
|
Area served
|
United States, Mexico, Canada, UAE, China |
|
Key people
|
Jim Reid-Anderson (Executive Chairman) John M. Duffey (President and CEO) |
| Revenue |
 US$1.264 billion (2015) |
|
US$160.01 million (2014) |
|
|
US$114.03 million (2014) |
|
|
Number of employees
|
1,900 full-time; 27,000 seasonal |
| Website | https://www.sixflags.com/ |
Six Flags, officially Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, is an amusement park corporation based in the United States, with properties in the US, Canada, and Mexico. It is the largest amusement park company in the world, based on the number of properties owned, and is ranked fifth in terms of attendance. The company maintains twenty properties throughout North America including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks, and family entertainment centers. In 2015, Six Flags properties hosted over 28.5 million guests.
Six Flags was founded in Texas and derived its name from its first property, Six Flags Over Texas. The company maintains a corporate office in Midtown Manhattan and its headquarters are in Grand Prairie, Texas. On June 13, 2009, the corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which it successfully exited after restructuring on May 3, 2010.
The name "Six Flags" refers to the flags of the six different nations that have governed Texas: Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the United States, and the Confederate States of America. The original park was (and still is) split into separate regions, such as the Spain and Mexico section which featured Spanish-themed rides, attractions, and buildings.
The Six Flags chain originated in 1957 with the creation of The Great Southwest Corporation by Angus G. Wynne and other investors. Construction of "Six Flags Over Texas" started in 1960, and the park was opened the next year for a short (45-day) season. The first park initially featured a Native American village, a gondola ride, a railroad, some Wild West shows, a stagecoach ride, and "Skull Island", a pirate-themed adventure attraction. There was also an excursion, inspired by the historical La Salle Expeditions in the late 1600s, called "LaSalle's River Adventure", aboard French riverboats through a wilderness full of animated puppets. Over time, all of those attractions, except for the railroad, would be replaced by others, such as roller coasters, swing rides, log flumes, and shoot-the-chute rides, as well as an observation tower.
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