Florida
There is a Disney town in Florida – this is what it looks like there
Every child knows Disney World in Florida. But did you know that Disney has built its own town near the resort – in typical Disney style? But not everything is as fabulous as it seems.
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VH
Vanessa Hellwig
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A life like in a fairy tale – who wouldn’t want that? In fact, the 11,000-inhabitant town called Celebration in the US state of Florida comes very close to this dream.
Because when planning this city, Disney employees let their imaginations run wild and brought Disney World into the real world. But in contrast to the films, there is only a limited happy ending here.
Just like in the movies: A tranquil turquoise house in the Disney town of Celebration, Florida.
The story behind Disney Town Celebration
But from the beginning. In the mid-1960s, Walt Disney dreamed of an “ideal” city and drew up corresponding plans. People should live in this place in beautiful surroundings and connected by a strong community.
He also wanted to enclose the city, called Epcot, with a kind of glass bell in order to create perfect climatic conditions at all times. It remained a utopia: Walt Disney died in California in 1966 without being able to realize his planned city.
Palm trees grow on Celebration’s Market Street. Neat cars are parked on the wide bouelvard in front of the house.
Disney builds city in Florida – fans fall in love with the place immediately
Around 30 years later, his company actually built a new city, but in the end it had little in common with the utopia of Epcot. In 1994, construction began on Celebration on a vacant lot in Florida, about a 10-minute drive from Disney World.
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It really did and does look like something out of a fairy tale here: pastel-colored little houses, ornate signs, whitewashed wooden fences and beautifully laid out flower beds give the residents the feeling of a world that is always perfect. Celebration is not a place of retreat for Disney princesses tired of the hype, but a home for real people. Like a normal small town in the USA, but only almost.
Why not enjoy the view of the lake from the rocking chair? The Disney town of Celebration makes it possible.
Disney City Celebration: Whoever wins the lottery may move in
The run on the apartments in Celebration was correspondingly large. Disney therefore held a lottery: 1,200 people each bought a ticket for a payment of 1,000 dollars. In 1996 the first lucky winners were allowed to move into the freshly painted houses. Did her dream of a carefree life in the perfect city come true?
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From a purely visual point of view, the place with its fairytale houses, the small lake in the park and the traffic-calmed center remained a feast for the eyes. But for life in the picture book city, the people had to give up a few things – including many basic democratic rights. The people of Celebration were not allowed to elect a citizen representative body, i.e. a mayor.
Idyllic Residential Neighborhood in Celebration, Orlando, Florida.
In addition, the company, as the owner of the city, issued a 70-page rule book to newcomers. They had to make a contractual commitment to comply. Among other things, it was stipulated which plants were allowed to bloom in the front gardens, how high the lawn was allowed to grow, what color the curtains had to be, reports the “Spiegel“.
Like in a fairy tale: The houses in Celebration look like in the Disney dream.
Disney is selling Celebration — that’s how it looks there now
In the year 2000 the Disney dream was over. The company sold the town to an investor, but the residents stayed. Since then, the lawn can also be mowed less frequently. The Disney Company, meanwhile, removed all notices of its intellectual property in the city.
But at least since Disney’s departure, problems have arisen again and again: Around 15 years after construction, the first damage to some residential buildings shows that during construction, according to “The Architect’s Newspaper“ was partly “shabby” worked. Among other things, mold appears on the walls of the houses lined with nylon. According to the report, the current residents are partly in financial difficulties as a result of the renovation that has become necessary.
There is also a wide range of housing options for families with less space requirements. The terraced houses in the Disney town of Celebration impress with manicured front yards.
So what’s left of the Disney dream in Celebration? The still charming and nicely designed streets, the cute houses, at least from the outside, and the nice city park with the lake in the middle.
Visiting Disney fans will enjoy the still clearly visible signature of the media group, while everyone else will witness an exciting urban development project that is currently at a crossroads.
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