| Thinking of walking from the Magic Kingdom to | | | | Emily Bavar, having her suspicions confirmed |
| Epcot? Think again!People, especially those | | | | after various non-responsive answers from |
| who haven't been to Walt Disney World in many | | | | Disney employees, released the story that it |
| years, always comment to me about how huge | | | | was Walt Disney who had been secretly behind |
| WDW really is. Actually, most people don't | | | | the purchases of all of this land. Of course, |
| realize how much land WDW actually | | | | once it was revealed that Disney was behind |
| encompasses. In fact, it's about about 80 | | | | the purchases, the prices of land jumped more |
| times the size of the entire nation of | | | | than 1000%! That's partially why Walt bought |
| Monaco, twice the size of Manhattan, and the | | | | his first acre of land in Florida for Walt |
| same size as San Francisco, California! So | | | | Disney World for $80.00 and his last for |
| when you say WDW is huge, you ain't | | | | $80,000.00!Disney quickly scheduled a press |
| kidding!The Walt Disney World Resort is made | | | | conference and confirmed the story. With the |
| up of 47 square miles of land.... or about | | | | governor of the state of Florida and his |
| 30,000 acres. Only about 1100 acres of that | | | | brother Roy by his side, Walt described the |
| land is devoted to the 4 theme parks. In | | | | $000 million dollar project that would become |
| fact, with only 7,100 acres developed, | | | | Walt Disney World. In exchange for bringing |
| there's quite a lot of room for expansion!But | | | | such a boost to the area's economy, the |
| how (and why) did Disney buy up all that | | | | creation of thousands of jobs, and |
| land?Back in the early 1950s, Anaheim, the | | | | improvements to the environment and |
| home of Disneyland, was a quiet little town, | | | | infrastructure of central Florida, Disney was |
| surrounded by nothing more than acres and | | | | given permission to establish their own, |
| acres of orange groves. Originally, Walt | | | | autonomous government, known as the Reedy |
| Disney wanted his new, 8-acre theme park to | | | | Creek Improvement District. This |
| be built near his Burbank studios, but soon | | | | quasi-government gave Disney the ability to |
| realized that such little space would not be | | | | create their own building codes, do his own |
| enough. So, he purchased over 160 acres of | | | | zoning and planning of roads and bridges, and |
| orange groves and walnut trees in Anaheim | | | | create his own residential community, among |
| near the junction of the Santa Ana Freeway | | | | other perks.When Walt Disney purchased the 47 |
| and Harbor Boulevard, and built his "Magic | | | | square miles that was to become the Walt |
| Kingdom" inside its borders (while moving 15 | | | | Disney World Resort as we know it today, it |
| existing houses in the process). Today, | | | | was nothing more than a desolate swampland, |
| Disneyland encompasses fewer than 300 acres, | | | | scrub forests, and groves. In order to |
| which includes Disney's California Adventure | | | | transform this area into the number one |
| and additional hotel properties. Relatively | | | | vacation destination in the world, massive |
| speaking, all of Disneyland could fit inside | | | | amounts of Earth had to be moved. |
| of Epcot.Regrettably, Walt Disney did not buy | | | | Additionally, since much of central Florida |
| enough land surrounding Disneyland, and soon | | | | is essentially "floating" on a body of water, |
| after the park opened it was surrounded by | | | | a daunting challenge presented itself. Disney |
| tacky hotels, tourist gift shops and | | | | had to transform this land, while balancing |
| restaurants. His dream of a completely | | | | the needs of the environment and ecology of |
| contained theme park for families was now | | | | the area. If any part of the water supply was |
| tainted with views of billboards and | | | | damaged or deleted, it would have caused a |
| fast-food restaurants. Walt vowed that if he | | | | massive ecological imbalance to the |
| ever built another theme park, he would not | | | | region.The first thing Disney did was set |
| make the same mistake twice. He would be sure | | | | aside a 7,500 acre Conservation Area in 1970, |
| that they could control the surroundings, | | | | which would never be built on. This would |
| which would include campgrounds, and | | | | preserve cypress trees as well as provide |
| first-class facilities for recreation and | | | | land for the area's natural inhabitants. |
| accommodation.In the early 1960's, Walt and a | | | | Second, they developed an engineering marvel |
| team of Imagineers, including his brother Roy | | | | by creating a system of more than 55 miles of |
| and General Joe Potter (can you find his name | | | | canals and levees to control water levels. |
| somewhere in Walt Disney World?)embarked on a | | | | Disney Imagineer John Hench designed this |
| super-secret endeavor, known simply as | | | | network of canals to blend into the natural |
| "Project X" (later known as "Project | | | | landscape, rather than being constructed in |
| Florida") to scour the nation in search for a | | | | straight lines. The mechanism that control |
| new location for a second theme park. First | | | | the water levels are completely automated, |
| and foremost, they were looking for a lots of | | | | and require no monitoring and little |
| land... cheap! Second they wanted it to be | | | | maintenance. Pretty impressive, considering |
| near a major city, with good weather and | | | | the property is about twice the size of |
| great highways and infrastructure. | | | | Manhattan!Currently, the two municipalities |
| Reportedly, when Walt's plane crossed over | | | | of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista are home to |
| the intersection of I-4 and Route 192 in | | | | Walt Disney World. These two cities are |
| Florida, he knew he found his spot.But how | | | | governed by Disney employees who live on the |
| does Walt Disney go and buy up thousands of | | | | property in a small cluster of homes |
| acres of land without the landowners holding | | | | "backstage". Although the permanent |
| out for exorbitant prices? He doesn't. Sort | | | | residential population of these cities is |
| of. Walt Disney set up dozens of "dummy" | | | | very small (population 20 in 2003), it hosts |
| corporations, with names like "M.T. Lott" | | | | millions of families who, for a brief period, |
| (get it? Empty Lot?), the "Latin-American | | | | call Bay Lake "home."Over the years, an |
| Development and Managers Corporation" and the | | | | additional 3,000 acres was purchased by |
| "Reedy Creek Ranch Corporation" to purchase | | | | Disney, bringing the Walt Disney World |
| seemingly worthless parcels of land ranging | | | | Resort's total size to over 30,000 acres. |
| from swampland to cattle pastures. By May of | | | | Less than one year after the formal public |
| 1965, there had been major land purchases | | | | announcement that it was in fact the Disney |
| recorded in Osceola and Orange Counties (just | | | | Company that had purchased all of that land |
| southwest of Orlando), although no one | | | | near the intersections of major Highways U.S. |
| realized (or suspected at first) that Disney | | | | 192 and Interstate 4, he stated;"Here in |
| had anything to do with it. One of the | | | | Florida, we have something special that we |
| earliest purchases included 8,500 acres owned | | | | never enjoyed at Disneyland . . . the |
| by Florida state senator Irlo Bronson.In late | | | | blessing of size. There's enough land here to |
| June of that same year, the Orlando Sentinel | | | | hold all the ideas and plans we can possibly |
| reported in an article that over 27,000 acres | | | | imagine." With only about 1/4 of the entire |
| had recently changed hands. Speculation began | | | | property developed, it looks like he was |
| that large corporations such as Ford, | | | | right.Louis Mongello has been fascinated by |
| McDonnell-Douglas, Hughes Aircraft, and | | | | Walt Disney World throughout his more than 40 |
| Boeing, (as Kennedy Space Center was located | | | | visits, and in the process learned everything |
| nearby), as, yes, even Walt Disney. In | | | | he could about the history, secrets and inner |
| October, though, Orlando Sentinel reporter | | | | workings of the resort. |