Buena Park highlight
Knott’s Berry Farm
A family-owned amusement park that evolved from a 1923 berry stand into a major Southern California destination, located in Buena Park with rides, dining, and seasonal attractions.
Knott's Berry Farm began in December 1920 when the Knott family settled in Buena Park and started a roadside berry stand in 1923. The business grew as visitors came to purchase fresh berries and preserves, and in 1928 Walter Knott built a permanent structure to house a plant nursery, berry market, and small tea room. The venture expanded into the restaurant business, and by 1934 Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant became a major draw, with diners waiting up to two hours for seating.
To entertain the waiting crowds, Walter Knott added shops and attractions. In 1941 a replica ghost town opened on the property, which gradually developed into an amusement park. Over the decades, the operation added rides, shows, themed areas celebrating California heritage, and eventually water park attractions. Today Knott's Berry Farm remains one of Southern California's family destinations, with roller coasters, themed villages, live entertainment, and a hotel on the property.
A family business that lasted generations, Knott's Berry Farm reflects how households in Buena Park grow and change: a side business becomes a career, seasonal income becomes stable employment, and what started with one family's work becomes the livelihood that supports a growing household. Life insurance at each stage of growth—when a business is young, when it employs family, when a home is financed from its income—is how families protect what they have built.