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