State park
State park is a term used in the
United States and in
Mexico for an area of land preserved on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, recreation, or other reason, and under the administration of the government of a
U.S. state or one of the
states of Mexico. State parks are
protected area of
IUCN category II.
State parks are thus similar to
national parks, but under state rather than federal administration. Similarly,
local government entities below state level may maintain parks, e.g.
regional parks or
county parks. In general, state parks are smaller than national parks, with a few exceptions such as the
Adirondack State Park in
New York.
In the United States, state parks actually have an older history than national parks. In 1864, when the federal government saw the need to protect the
Yosemite Valley and
Mariposa Grove, Abraham Lincoln ceded the land to California as a state park. This was because, at the time, preservation of land for the public was seen as a proper role for the states rather than the federal government. Later the state park was incorporated into
Yosemite National Park. Perhaps the oldest state park is
Georgia's Indian Springs State Park.
Since around 1825, Indian Springs has been operated continuously by the state as a public park, although it did not gain the title "State Park" until 1931. Many state park systems date to the 1930s, when dozens of state parks across the country were established with assistance from the
Civilian Conservation Corps.
Similar systems of local government maintained parks exist in other countries, but the terminology varies.
*
List of U.S. state parks*
List of state parks of Mexico*
National Association of State Park Directors*
Provincial park (Canada)
