Walt Disney World has become the 5th most visited tourist site in the United States as of 2009, according to Forbes Traveler. Located in Florida, Walt Disney World occupies 47 square miles of land in Buena Vista, near Orlando. Over the past 38 years, Walt Disney World has evolved with its guests to become a rite of passage for many families across the globe.
Using dummy corporations, Walt Disney began purchasing land for Walt Disney World in 1964. The idea was to purchase the land without giving away Disney's plan to prevent owners from price gouging. The land for Walt Disney World was mostly purchased under shadow until Disney's purpose was finally revealed in an article in The Orlando Sentinel in 1965.
The death of Walt Disney was a setback for the Florida project causing the company to reevaluate whether or not construction should begin on the purchased land. The decision was finally made to go forth with the project and the project was overseen by Walt's brother, Roy Disney.
In Disneyland, Walt Disney had never liked the idea that guests could see employees from Frontierland, in their western attire, strolling through Tomorrowland to exit the park or go to lunch. To prevent this, the land under Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom was built up and a series of "utilidors" was built underneath the park so that the inner workings of the park were hidden from guests' views.
Walt Disney World opened on October 1, 1971 and was dedicated by Roy Disney. The opening ceremonies were later broadcast as a television special entitled, "The Grand Opening of Walt Disney World" on October 29, 1971.
Since October 1, 1971, Walt Disney World has added three additional theme parks, two water parks, a shopping district and numerous resorts. The three major additions, Epcot, Disney-Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom opened in 1982, 1989 and 1998 respectively.
