Lake Buena Vista, Florida

Lake Buena Vista
—  City  —
Location in Orange County and the state of Florida
U.S. Census Map
Lake Buena Vista Location in Florida
Coordinates: 28°22′39″N 81°31′18″W / 28.3775°N 81.52167°W / 28.3775; -81.52167Coordinates: 28°22′39″N 81°31′18″W / 28.3775°N 81.52167°W / 28.3775; -81.52167
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Orange
Government
– Mayor	Terry Fay
Area
– Total	4.9 sq mi (12.7 km2)
– Land	4.8 sq mi (12.5 km2)
– Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation	95 ft (29 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	16
– Density	3.3/sq mi (1.3/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	32830
Area code(s)	407
FIPS code	12-37625[1]
GNIS feature ID	0302708[2]

Lake Buena Vista is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. It is mostly known for being home to the Walt Disney World Resort. It is one of two Florida municipalities controlled by The Walt Disney Company, the other being Bay Lake.

Lake Buena Vista is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Chapter 67-1965 of the Laws of Florida, incorporating the City of Reedy Creek, was signed into law by Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. on May 12, 1967, the same day he also signed chapters 67-764 (creating the Reedy Creek Improvement District) and 67-1104 (incorporating the City of Bay Lake). It was located fully inside the Reedy Creek Improvement District. The city was controlled by the Walt Disney Company and allowed it powers that other area attractions had not had.

Chapter 69-1527, which became a law on July 3, 1969 without the governor's approval, redefined the city boundaries. The city was completely moved, taking over some land that had been part of the City of Bay Lake (and was given up by Chapter 69-836, which became a law the same day) and including some other land that had formerly been unincorporated. Soon after, the City of Reedy Creek was renamed to the City of Lake Buena Vista to better reflect its new location, through which Reedy Creek did not flow. "Buena Vista" comes from the name of the street in Burbank, California where The Walt Disney Company is located.

The Reedy Creek Improvement District had all the powers of the city and more, raising the questions of why cities needed to be incorporated inside it. Walt Disney's original plans for the site included at least one futuristic living area, a planned "community of the future". This was never built, but some of the ideas were incorporated into the EPCOT theme park and later Celebration, Florida. The only residents of the city are Disney employees who live in a small community on Royal Oak Court, north of Downtown Disney. The only landowners are fully owned subsidiaries of Disney, and right-of-way for state and county roads.

The lake

The body of water named Lake Buena Vista is a small body of water located east of the Buena Vista Golf Course, west of the crossing of State Road 535 and Interstate 4. The lake, named Black Lake before Disney came, was most probably named^{[citation needed]} for Buena Vista Street in Burbank, California where Disney's corporate offices and main studios are located. Several Walt Disney Company business entities had names containing "Buena Vista," a Spanish phrase that, in this case, translates to "good view."

Geography

Lake Buena Vista is located at 28°22′39″N 81°31′18″W / 28.3775°N 81.52167°W / 28.3775; -81.52167 (28.377362, -81.521728).^[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.9 square miles (13 km²). 4.8 square miles (12 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it (1.84%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 16 people, 9 households, and 5 families residing in the city. The population density was 3.3 inhabitants per square mile (1.3/km²). There were 11 housing units at an average density of 2.3 per square mile (0.9/km²). Everyone in the city is white.

There were 9 households out of which one had children under the age of 18 living with them, four are married couples living together, none have a female householder with no husband present. Four are households are made up of individuals, one of whom is 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.78 and the average family size was 2.40.

The age distribution was two under 18, none between 18 and 24, three from 25 to 44, six from 45 to 64, and five who were 65 or older. The median age was 53 years. The male-to-female ratio is 1:1.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,375, and the median income for a family was $62,500. Males had a median income of $60,000 versus $38,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,769. No one in the city is below the poverty line.

Population history

• 1970: 12
• 1980: 98
• 1990: 1,776^[4]
• 2000: 16

Note that the 1990 population includes the Vista Way apartments for Walt Disney World College Program participants, which began operation in 1988 and were de-annexed after the 1990 census.

Points of interest

• Walt Disney World
  • Magic Kingdom*
  • Epcot*
  • Disney's Hollywood Studios*
  • Disney's Animal Kingdom*
  • Disney's Blizzard Beach*
  • Typhoon Lagoon
  • Downtown Disney
    • Pleasure Island
    • DisneyQuest
  • ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex*
  • Lake Buena Vista Golf Course

• note: these places are in the neighboring city of Bay Lake.

Education

Lake Buena Vista is a non-operating school district. Public School Students in Lake Buena Vista attend Orange County Schools through a sending/receiving relationship with Orange County Public Schools.

The only subdivision within Lake Buena Vista falls within the attendance zones of Sand Lake Elementary School, Southwest Middle School, and Dr. Phillips High School.

See also

• Bay Lake, Florida
• Reedy Creek Improvement District
• Walt Disney World Resort

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
4. ^ Lake Buena Vista's 1990 Census Profile http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/gazetteer?city=Lake+Buena+Vista&state=&zip=

External links

• Terraserver image of the community where all residents live