The annual consumer surplus from a site depends upon the demand curve for that site, the value that consumers place upon that specific location. Sites which are com- monplace tend to have demand curves which are relatively flat; there may be a lot of use but few people come from far away to see the site. The consumer surplus underneath relatively flat demand curves tends to be small. On the other hand, sites which are unique tend to have relatively steep demand curves. Not only is there extensive use, but a sizable proportion of users travel relatively great distances to visit. In this case, consumer surplus will tend to be large. The shapes of the demand curves reflect the underlying tastes of the users and lead to consistent estimates of dollar values