Public Use of the National Park System MENU Cover Contents Foreword Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Conclusions Footnotes		Public Use of the National Park System (1872-2000) Chapter 4 CHAPTER 4 Bird's-eye View of the National Park System and Public Use in 1967 a. Diversity of the National Park System. b. Geographical Distribution. c. Breadth of Public Use. d. Changing Character of Public Use. e. Extent of Overnight Use. DIGEST This section emphasizes the tremendous diversity of the National Park System in 1967. The System is no longer overwhelmingly western, but regional environments and traditions of every section of the nation are woven together in the System's fabric. It is a surprising fact that in 1966 over 81 million visits, or more than 61 percent of all visits, were made to units of the System east of the Mississippi River. It is also a surprising fact that 25.5 percent of all visits to the System (over 34 million) were made to units in or within the immediate influence of 15 major cities. We conclude that public use has not only increased greatly but has steadily broadened to include at least some visitors from every geographic region, from both urban and rural areas, from every ethnic, religious, and racial group, and from every social and economic class except the most deprived. The composition of this user audience is changing with changes in our society. Overnight visits constitute less than 11 percent of visits to the System. The predominant use is day-use. Continue >>>
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