(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: MAY/JUNE 2002)

Of the 367 coasters launched in the U.S. since the 1980s, 91 are in parks scattered around the Midwest. All told, enthusiasts can find 89 steel and 35 wood coasters in the Heartland.

Ohio alone boasts the nation's tallest and fastest roller coaster, as well as the world's tallest, longest and fastest wood coasters. One of its parks, Cedar Point in Sandusky (60 miles west of Cleveland), holds the Guinness record for most coasters: 15.

For fans of "woodies"--the traditional wood coaster--the Midwest is Mecca. We have six of the 10 fastest in the world, five of the longest, five with the biggest drops and four of the tallest.

The Raven at Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana, and Shivering Timbers at Michigan's Adventure in Muskegon were ranked the No. 1 and No. 2 wood coasters, respectively, in the 2001 Golden Ticket Awards. The poll of park fans and operators is conducted by the trade paper Amusement Today. Also, the poll ranked Cedar Point's Millennium Force--North America's fastest coaster at 93 mph, and tallest at 310 feet--the top steel coaster, and Magnum XL-200 third.

Because of Raven, built in 1995, tiny Santa Claus (70 miles west of Louisville, Kentucky) becomes the center of the coaster universe for a weekend each May. Fans from around the world descend on the small, family-owned theme park to attend "Stark Raven Mad" and revel in after-hours ERT (Exclusive Ride Time, a coaster fanatic's nirvana) on the Raven and the two-year-old Legend.

Thrills Beyond Measure

The exhilaration isn't always a matter of fastest or tallest, since coaster lovers don't rate rides on statistical superlatives. Rather we judge the aesthetic elements of the ride:

• The number and types of inversions (turning upside down)
• The G (gravity) forces
• The ride's smoothness
• The "storyline," as the track transitions from one element to another
• The pacing
• The scenery around the coaster
• The all-important air time, also called "negative Gs"

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