The Economic Impact of
Walt Disney World
on Orlandos
Metropolitan Area
AGRICULTURE
Camille Trudel
Background
In 1955, Disneyland, in California, opened to the public.
But, in the early 60s, Walt Disney started to envision another park for the population East of the
Mississippi: Walt Disney World. He also wanted control over a larger area than the 450 acre of
Disneyland, where he could build a total resort, free of the distracting and conflicting elements
which had grown up around Disneyland during its first decade. 1
On November 22nd 1963, Disney and his associates flew over the swamplands of Central Florida,
and decided on a location where the Interstate 4 (then in construction) and Floridas Turnpike
crossed. Not only was the land very cheap in that area (180$ per acre), but the intersection of
these two major thoroughfares as well as the nearby airport, McCoy Air Force Base (now
Orlando International Airport) would make the access to the park very easy.
1 WALT DISNEY WORLD NEWS DEPARTMENT. WALT DISNEY WORLD HISTORY. WDWMAGIC. LAST
MODIFIED 2009. HTTP://WWW.WDWMAGIC.COM/WALT-DISNEY-WORLD-HISTORY.HTM
Background
The location being decided, what was left to do was no easy task: buy the land at its original
cheap price. Walt Disney being an already well-known businessman in the United States, and
the success of Disneyland being equally known, he knew that if land owners knew who was
buying the land, the price per acre would go up. Therefore, he created dummy corporations to
buy the land for him, and in some cases the price was as low as 80$ per acre.
In 1965, the Orlando Sentinel published an article revealing who was behind the land purchases,
and, as Disney had foreseen, the price ballooned up to 80,000$ per acre. Fortunately for him, by
then, most of the area for the park had been acquired at an average of 200$ per acre.
Even though the land Walt Disney bought was useless for agriculture, the economy of the area
where the future Happiest Place on Earth would be built was dominated by agriculture.
Why Walt Disney World?
Why Walt Disney World?
Walt Disney World was built in what some might call the middle of nowhere. Indeed, more
than 50 years ago, at the same site, you would see practically nothing except well, practically
nothing. At least, nothing of note other than Central Floridas typical muddy and alligator-filled
sloughs, sinkhole-formed lakes teeming with fish, and palm-covered and palmetto-tangled
flatlands.1
In the census of 1960, the population of Orlando was 86,135.
In comparison, in the census of the same year, the population of Miami was 291,688, and the
population of Los Angeles was 2,479,015.
Many associate Orlandos urban development with the arrival of Disney World. It is therefore
easier to observe the impact Walt Disney World had on that region, than other area where
Disney built parks, as they are close to big cities, which themselves could have an impact on the
area of the theme park.
1 FORD, STEVEN. DISNEYS SMART MOVES 50 YEARS AGO HELPED IT OWN ORLANDO TODAY.
SKIFT. LAST MODIFIED NOVEMBER 20, 2013. HTTPS://SKIFT.COM/2013/11/22/DISNEYS-SMARTMOVES-50-YEARS-AGO-HELPED-IT-OWN-ORLANDO-TODAY/
Orlando Than and Now
http://photos.orlandoweekly.com/52-vintage-s hots-of-orlando-from-the-50s-and60s/?slide=1&orlando-skyline-from-lake-luce rne
http://www.ugl yhed geho g.co m/t-107182-1.html
Why the impact on agriculture?
As mentioned previously, agriculture was the center of the regions economy.
Even though the land used for the theme park was useless in terms of farming, the surrounding
agricultural lands of the region increased in value with the planned opening of the park, leading
developers to buy that land to build properties to accommodate the tourists that would surely
arrive in huge quantities.
And arrive they did. In 1972, 10.7 million tourists had gone to the Magic Kingdom since its
opening on October 1st 1971.
Why the impact on agriculture?
On June 18th 1972, 60 minutes, a newsmagazine on CBS (an American television network), did a
report on the impact Walt Disney World had on the region. As stated in the report, the land
boom, the building boom threatens the famed orange groves of Central Florida1. This
statement is followed by a short interview with county agricultural agent Henry Swanson
regarding the problem the area could face regarding its water supply, for 9/10 of the water in
Orange County comes from the ground beneath the groves which absorbs the rain water and
water cannot filter through concrete.1 When ask what Disney World does to the agricultural
Orange County, Swanson replies that it increased the real estate value (as the report states
before, some land near the resort had been sold 200,000$ per acre), and, as a result, many are
selling their groves for urban development.
That last answer is what made me wonder about the impact Walt Disney World had on the
agriculture in Orlandos Metropolitan Area (Orange, Lake, Seminole, and Osceola Counties),
throughout the years and if the trend observed in 1972 kept on going, 45 years after the Magic
Kingdom opened its gate for the first time.
1. WALLACE, MIKE. WILL MICKEY MOUSE EAT UP ORANGE COUNTY?. 60 MINUTES. AIRED JUNE
18, 1972. HTTP://WWW.CBSNEWS.COM/VIDEOS/FLORIDA-BEFORE-DISNEY/
https://www.agcensus.usda.gov/publications/2002/maps/fl02_refmap_h.pdf
Orange County
LAND IN FARMS (ACRES)
NUMBER OF FARMS
500,000
3,000
2,726
2,500
450,000
2,600
400,000
382,673
350,000 354,080
2,000
1,780
1,853
349,007
300,000
1,500
1,392
1,224
1,000
434,199
1,099
250,000
1,320
1,125
256,488
246,678
243,719
228,076
200,000
990
867
901
150,000
825
662
500
175,017
161,900
146,637
138,418
136,088
132,480
100,000
50,000
1950 1954 1959 1964 1969 1974 1978 1982 1987 1992 1997 2002 2007 2012
1950 1954 1959 1964 1969 1974 1978 1982 1987 1992 1997 2002 2007 2012
Orange County
AVERAGE SIZE OF FARMS (ACRES)
250.0
200.0
206.5
198.9
201.5
208
203
184
159.3
150.0
200
185
134.2
144
140
1987
1992
163
165
2002
2007
100.0
50.0
0.0
1950
1954
1959
1964
1969
1974
1978
1982
1997
2012
Seminole County
NUMBER OF FARMS
LAND IN FARMS (ACRES)
350,000
900
800
789
300,000
292,839
726
700
680
250,000
600
500
400
300
541
510
489
393
210,908
200,000
503
182,305
390
352
344
376
150,000 155,595
395
312
100,000
200
100
0
67,327 61,710
66,380 59,933
59,642
57,996
50,000
1950 1954 1959 1964 1969 1974 1978 1982 1987 1992 1997 2002 2007 2012
37,222
1950
1954
1959
1964
1969
1974
1978
1982
1987
1992
1997
27,987
2002
35,542
2007
21,697
2012
Seminole County
AVERAGE SIZE OF FARMS (ACRES)
450.0
403.4
400.0
350.0
300.0
310.2
287.6
250.0
231.1
200.0
157
150.0
132
154
119
100.0
169
132
108
74
90
50.0
0.0
1950
1954
1959
1964
1969
1974
1978
1982
1987
1992
1997
2002
2007
70
2012
Osceola County
NUMBER OF FARMS
LAND IN FARMS (ACRES)
1,000,000
600
527
500
503
464
460
428
400
499
399
416
928,502
904,760
876,511871,164
900,000
519
485
800,000
834,985
814,959
769,857
766,899
787,046
716,542
700,000
414
381
376
365
652,673646,290
610,825
600,000
547,058
300
500,000
400,000
200
300,000
200,000
100
100,000
0
1950
1954
1959
1964
1969
1974
1978
1982
1987
1992
1997
2002
2007
2012
1950
1954
1959
1964
1969
1974
1978
1982
1987
1992
1997
2002
2007
2012
Osceola County
AVERAGE SIZE OF FARMS (ACRES)
2,500.0
2,317
2,000.0
2,185
2,106.9
2,001
1,922.1
1,771.7
1,798.7
1,696
1,584.4
1,500.0
1,565
1,499
1,436
1,259
1,258
1997
2002
1,000.0
500.0
0.0
1950
1954
1959
1964
1969
1974
1978
1982
1987
1992
2007
2012
Lake County
NUMBER OF FARMS
LAND IN FARMS (ACRES)
3,500
400,000
3,000
2,920
350,000
342,572346,037
329,186
327,077
319,428
314,816310,072
2,827
300,000
2,500
250,000 249,815
2,000
1,958
1,711
1,500
1,634
1,535
1,798 1,814 1,784
1,678 1,637
1,285 1,320
1,389
200,000
199,098
185,311180,245
152,145
150,000
121,422
1,000
100,000
500
232,657
50,000
1950 1954 1959 1964 1969 1974 1978 1982 1987 1992 1997 2002 2007 2012
1950
1954
1959
1964
1969
1974
1978
1982
1987
1992
1997
2002
2007
2012
Lake County
AVERAGE SIZE OF FARMS (ACRES)
250
211.7
213
200
188
189
175
150
181
151
146
133
109.4
100
116.4
100
85
67
50
1950
1954
1959
1964
1969
1974
1978
1982
1987
1992
1997
2002
2007
2012
Future Readings
- Foglesong, Richard E. Married to the Mouse: Walt Disney World and Orlando. New Haven: Yale
University Press, 2001.
- Clark, James C. Orlando, Florida: A Brief History. Charleston: The History Press, 2013.
- Koenig, David. Realityland: True-Life Adventures at Walt Disney World. Irvine: Bonaventure
Press, 2014.
- Emerson, Chad Denver. Project Future: The Inside Story Behind the Creation of Disney World.
United States of America: Ayefour Publishing, 2010.
Reference
- United States. Department of Commerce. Bureau of Census. United States Census of
Agriculture 1954, Volume 1: Counties and State Economic Areas, Part 18: Florida. Washington,
D.C.: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census, 1956. Web. October 14, 2016.
http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/AgCensusImages/1954/01/29/1954-01-29.pdf
- United States. Department of Commerce. Bureau of Census. United States Census of
Agriculture 1964, Volume 1, Part 29: Florida. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Commerce,
Bureau of Census, 1967. Web. October 14, 2016.
http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/AgCensusImages/1964/01/29/1964-01-29.pdf
- United States. Department of Commerce. Bureau of Census. United States Census of
Agriculture 1974, Volume 1: State and County Data, Part 9: Florida. Washington, D.C.: U.S.
Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census, June 1977. Web. October 14, 2016.
http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/AgCensusImages/1974/01/09/1974-01-09.pdf
Reference
- United States. Department of Commerce. Bureau of Census. Census of Agriculture 1982,
Volume 1: Geographic Area Series, State an County Data, Part 9: Florida. Washington, D.C.: U.S.
Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census, July 1984. Web. October 14, 2016.
http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/AgCensusImages/1982/01/09/1982-01-09.pdf
- United States. Department of Commerce. Bureau of Census. Census of Agriculture 1992,
Volume 1: Geographic Area Series, State an County Data, Part 9: Florida. Washington, D.C.: U.S.
Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census, April 1994. Web. October 14, 2016.
http://agcensus.mannlib.cornell.edu/AgCensus/getVolumeOnePart.do?year=1992&part_id=845
&number=9&title=Florida
- United States. Department of Agriculture. National Agricultural Statistics Service. Census of
Agriculture 2002, Volume 1: Geographic Area Series, State an County Data, Part 9: Florida.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, June
2004. Web. October 14, 2016.
http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/AgCensusImages/2002/01/09/2002-01-09.pdf
Reference
- United States. Department of Agriculture. National Agricultural Statistics Service. Census of
Agriculture 2012, Volume 1: Geographic Area Series, State an County Data, Part 9: Florida.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, May
2014. Web. October 14, 2016.
https://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/Full_Report/Volume_1,_Chapter_2_County
_Level/Florida/flv1.pdf
- Potter, Derek. Theme Park History: Walt Disney and the beginning of his 'World', part one.
Theme Park Insider. Last modified December 15, 2013.
http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201312/3819/
- Walt Disney World News department. Walt Disney World History. WDWMagic. Last modified
2009. http://www.wdwmagic.com/walt-disney-world-history.htm
Reference
- Ford, Steven. Disneys Smart Moves 50 Years Ago Helped it Own Orlando Today. Skift. Last
modified November 20, 2013. https://skift.com/2013/11/22/disneys-smart-moves-50-yearsago-helped-it-own-orlando-today/
- Wallace, Mike. Will Mickey Mouse Eat Up Orange County?. 60 minutes. Aired June 18, 1972.
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/florida-before-disney/
