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. 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. 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. KOA annually inspects each campground with a 600-point inspection, which it claims is the most stringent in the business. 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. File:KOA Kampground Lake Panasoffkee.jpg|Entrance to
Lake Panasoffkee,
Florida KOA File:Mt. Lassen Shingletown KOA campground reception, Shingletown, 2011.jpg|Reception of a KOA campground in
Shingletown, California File:KOA campground Petersburg Michigan.JPG|KOA campground,
Petersburg, Michigan File:Jonestown-Hershey NE KOA Journey Creekside Campsite.jpg|Creekside campsite at Jonestown/Hershey NE KOA Journey in
Jonestown, Pennsylvania ==References==