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Company type | Private |
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Industry |
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Founded | 1962 |
Founder | Dave Drum |
Headquarters | 550 North 31st Street, , United States |
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Services |
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Owner | |
Subsidiaries | Sir Speedy, Inc. |
Website | www |
KOA (short for Kampgrounds[ sic ] of America) is an American franchise of privately owned campgrounds. Having more than 500 locations across the United States and Canada, it is the world's largest system of privately owned campgrounds. [2] [3] It was founded in 1962 and is based in Billings, Montana, United States. The current president and CEO of KOA is Toby O’Rourke. [4]
KOA was founded in 1962 in Billings, Montana, by businessmen Dave Drum, John Wallace and two other partners. Drum got the idea to start the campgrounds while walking his property along the Yellowstone River and seeing travelers heading to the Seattle World's Fair. The first campsites, known as Billings Campground, were located on Drum's property north of the Yellowstone River. For $1.75 per night, campers could pitch their tent on a campsite that included a picnic table and fire ring. This first campground also provided hot showers, restrooms, and a small store. [5] The campground was quickly successful and by the summer of 1963, Drum, Wallace and their partners decided to create a system of campgrounds throughout North America. They named the company Kampgrounds of America and began selling franchises. [5]
In 1969, KOA became a public company. [6] By the end of the 1969 camping season, KOA had 262 campgrounds in operation across the U.S. By 1972, 10 years after KOA's creation, KOA had 600 franchise campgrounds.
The 1970s energy crisis caused the collapse of many travel-oriented businesses, and KOA's stock price sharply declined as fewer Americans drove for vacations. New York City financier Oscar Tang, a major stockholder at the time, purchased the company in its entirety after the 1979 oil crisis. [6] However, by 1982 KOA franchises had increased to nearly 900. By 2002, after stricter quality standards weeded out many campgrounds, KOA campgrounds numbered almost 500, with most being in the United States. [7]
KOA annually inspects each campground with a 600-point inspection, which it claims is the most stringent in the business. [8]
In 2015, Jim Rogers stepped down as CEO after 15 years and was replaced by the president of the company, Pat Hittmeier. In April 2019, Hittmeier retired, and was replaced by new CEO Toby O'Rourke, the first woman to hold that position in the company's 57-year history. [9]
Livingston, occasionally referred to as L-Town by locals, is a city and county seat of Park County, Montana, United States. It is in southwestern Montana, on the Yellowstone River, north of Yellowstone National Park. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,040.
Billings is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, which had a population of 184,167 in the 2020 census. With one of the largest trade areas in the United States, Billings is the trade and distribution center for much of Montana east of the Continental Divide. Billings is also the largest retail destination for much of the same area. The Billings Chamber of Commerce claims the area of commerce covers more than 125,000 square miles (320,000 km2). In 2009, it was estimated to serve over 500,000 people.
Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a bivy or tarp, or no shelter at all. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors, in pursuit of activities providing them enjoyment or in a form of educational experience. Spending the night away from home distinguishes camping from day-tripping, picnicking, and other outdoor activities.
Campsite, campground, and camping pitch are all related terms regarding a place used for camping. The usage differs between British English and American English.
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The 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake occurred in the western United States on August 17 at 11:37 pm (MST) in southwestern Montana.
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The Yellowstone Club is a private residential club, ski resort, and golf resort located in Madison County, just west of Big Sky, Montana. It is rated among the top 10 lifestyle estates in the world.
Miles City is a city in and the county seat of Custer County, Montana, United States. The population was 8,354 at the 2020 census.
American Prairie is a prairie-based nature reserve in Central Montana, United States, on a shortgrass prairie ecosystem with migration corridors and native wildlife. This wildlife conservation area is being developed as a private project of the American Prairie Foundation (APF), a non-profit organization. The reserve covers 462,803 acres (187,290 ha). The organization hopes to expand it greatly through a combination of both private and public lands.
Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts is a chain of more than 75 family friendly campgrounds throughout the United States and Canada. The camp-resort locations are independently owned and operated and each is franchised through Camp Jellystone, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sun Communities. The current President of Camp Jellystone is Robert (Rob) Schutter, Jr.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Billings, Montana, USA.
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Craig Lancaster is an American author, playwright, and journalist, best known for his novels 600 Hours of Edward, its sequel, Edward Adrift, and The Summer Son. His other notable works include a short story collection as well as numerous articles and essays produced during his career as a newspaper writer and editor. The author, a two-time High Plains Book Award winner, was lauded as "one of Montana's most important writers."
A tent pad is a designated area at a campground site to a set up a tent. It eliminates the need to find a suitable spot to pitch a tent.
The Dyrt is consumer subscription software for camping, and the largest source of information for campgrounds throughout the United States, via a website and mobile app. The content on The Dyrt is user-generated as campers post photos, videos and reviews about campgrounds in the US. This content draws in 30 million visits per year. Campers can also book campsites on The Dyrt, which is commission-free for campground owners. The Dyrt PRO, a premium service that costs $36 annually, allows campers to access PRO maps that show free camping on public lands, download maps for offline use and plan camping road trips.