Celebration, Florida
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Celebration, Florida is a census-designated place and an unincorporated master-planned community in Osceola County in the U.S. state of Florida, near Walt Disney World Resort. It was developed by The Walt Disney Company.
Celebration is connected directly to the Walt Disney World parks and resorts by World Drive; the north end of World Drive begins near the Magic Kingdom and its south end connects to Celebration Boulevard, allowing Celebration residents and guests to drive to Disney property without having to use any busy thoroughfares. With the rising population, Disney has divested most of its control over Celebration in the years since it founded the town, although several Disney business units occupy many of the town's office buildings.
Recently, some residents have petitioned that the town incorporate; a ballot measure could go before voters in 2007.
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[edit] History
Celebration was founded in 1994 on Disney-owned land that had previously been undeveloped (and used for relocating alligators which had been caught near Disney guest areas). Celebration was de-annexed from the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Coincidentally, the original 1967 borders of the City of Reedy Creek covered much of the land that is now Celebration, before the borders of Reedy Creek were moved northeast in 1969 and the town was shortly thereafter renamed to the City of Lake Buena Vista. At that time, this city (along with the City of Bay Lake) covered only portions of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, presumably the portions that were being considered for communities.
It is sometimes claimed that Celebration was intended to fulfill Walt Disney's original vision for EPCOT as an experimental location where people could live, but the Celebration Company has never stated this as a motivation.
The philosophy behind the town is that it is to be a friendly, neighborly place, drawing its design and its sensibility from such places as Savannah, Georgia; Nantucket, Massachusetts; and Charleston, South Carolina. The master plan was developed by Robert A. M. Stern Architects and Cooper Robertson & Partners, both of New York City. Instead of using Disney's vision for EPCOT which was based on modernism and futurism, the town uses the concept of "New Urbanism" to emphasize parks, sidewalks, and a mix of residential and commercial space. The bank, the post office, the town hall, the movie theater, and other downtown buildings were designed by renowned architects. The majority of homes are within one mile of the downtown area. Segway scooters and small electric cars called "NEVs" ("Neighborhood Electric Vehicle") are common. Community events are held downtown throughout the year; for example, during the Christmas season it "snows" on Market Street (bubbly foam blown from machines on the lampposts). The first church to inhabit Celebration was a Presbyterian Christian church. There are currently 7 different denominations including a Jewish congregation. There is also a hospital (Celebration Health) and a fire station in Celebration. An eighteen-hole golf course winds through the town. Celebration is not a gated community; because gates are not part of a new urbanist vision, and the downtown area depends on revenue from tourists.
As in most new golf-course subdivisions in Florida, Celebration residents are governed by a homeowners' association which uses "covenants" to protect the 'feel' of the community: residents must keep lawns mowed, are not allowed to park boats or RVs in streets or drives, and must keep the street appearance of the house (everything including "for sale" signs, house numbers, lawn furniture like birdbaths, and exterior paint colors) within prescribed bounds.
As a result of its neotraditional design and its rules, Celebration tends to evoke strong reactions in people: some fall in love with the architecture, saying they prefer its neotraditional looks to standard, modern "cookie cutter" style subdivisions; others cynically compare it to an artificial movie set with oppressive rules. Some compare Celebration's appearance to that of the town of Seaside, Florida (which was used in the filming of the movie The Truman Show). Other visitors find such comparisons to be blown out of proportion, viewing its appearance and homeowners' association rules as typical of those of numerous subdivisions in other parts of the United States that have generated much less negative attention, including several similar New Urban communities such as Harbor Town.
In 1995, all that existed of the town were a few roads under construction and one trailer with the facade of a stately home to advertise future plans. A lottery was held for the opportunity to buy a home in this new "Disney town," and all 351 home lots in the town's first development were quickly sold through the lottery, leaving a six-month waiting list. But the builders were unprepared for the demand and therefore the quality of the initial construction was sometimes sub-par, helping to earn Celebration ridicule in the press. Another point of contention was the Celebration School (K-12), which attempted to incorporate many progressive ideas in ways that turned out to be more confusing than successful. People purchasing homes there early on had the general impression that Disney's connection to the project meant that nothing could go wrong, but that misconception was short-lived.
Residents first moved into homes in Celebration on June 18, 1996. Through the first years of the town, many townspeople persevered and banded together even more tightly as a community to make sure that the town lived up to its commitments and its promise. As a result the town of Celebration, Florida, can be said to have fulfilled most of its original intentions.
One peculiarity of the town early on was that it was run by The Celebration Company, a fully owned subsidiary of the Disney Company, rather than by elected officials. The result of this has been that some decisions made on behalf of the residents of the community were made with Disney's profits in mind rather than the townspeople’s desires – for example, the downtown area contains several shops selling collectibles, but no gas station or video rental store. This problem is going away as residents have gained elected positions on the board of the Celebration Residential Owners' Association, and as Disney diminishes its role in the town. Disney recently sold the downtown area to Lexin Capital, a private real estate investment firm. Recently, a another commercial development outside of downtown, Water Tower Place was built with Chick-fil-A, Mobil, dry cleaners, a video rental store, and the West Osceola Branch of the Osceola library system among its tenants.
Celebration residents do not receive free passes, discounts, or any sort of preferential treatment at Disney theme parks or resorts. In fact, Disney employees receive dining and shopping discounts throughout the area including downtown Celebration (due to arrangements with businesses which want to attract business from the large number of Disney employees), while Celebration residents do not.
[edit] Developments
There are eight developments in Celebration: North Village, South Village, East Village, West Village, Celebration Village, Lake Evalyn, Roseville Corner, and Artisan Park. Homes are built in various pre-approved styles including Victorian, Mediterranean, French, Coastal, and Colonial Revival, and there are seven general 'sizes' of homes ranging from cozy Bungalows to huge Estates. The styles and sizes of homes are mixed through the town; there are streets of large homes right next to streets of small homes. Most homes have alleys behind them to hide driveways and trashcans. Most homes have front porches, and all homes are fairly close to the street and to their neighbors to encourage a closer sense of community. Celebration homes do not have large yards. Pricing for homes new begins around $390,000 for non resale condominiums up to $700,000-$1,000,000 for houses, estates run in the millions. Apartments typically rent for $900/month and up or roughly a dollar per square foot, and several apartments are available above the downtown businesses and garages (garage apartments).
[edit] Transportation
Contrary to its design as a quintessential American town, Celebration does not have any road named Main Street, because that name is already used elsewhere in Osceola County. The two main roads going through the center of the downtown area are named Market Street and Front Street. Some streets include:
- Celebration Boulevard
An avenue parallel to I-4 that includes many commercial businesses and the Celebration High School. The architecture on the street is the Celebration Modern style. The entire street is lines with two rows of Washington Palms.
- Celebration Place
An area with a Plinth area that includes commercial buildings with a Campo Santo image, and a landmark section, an area that stands by itself on the edge of a natural conservation area with its own identity. The Plinth area has three sections:
- Plinth Section
- Building Section
- Parking Section
Each section has defined design elements.
[edit] Pop culture
The band Chumbawamba included a song called "Celebration, Florida" on their album WYSIWYG. It satirises the (perceived) excesses of American consumerism and "nostalgia for a time they can't remember" which the town supposedly embodies. The character Brian in the broadway musical Avenue Q, makes a wry reference to the city before the song “Special” is performed at The Around the Clock by a curvaceous puppet. Also, an animated cartoon episode of The Simpsons about the “Globex Corporation” portrays a similar town which appears to be like Celebration, Florida.
[edit] Geography
Celebration is located at (28.320059, -81.540149)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the community has a total area of 27.7 km² (10.7 mi²). 27.6 km² (10.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.28%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 2,736 people, 952 households, and 716 families residing in the community. The population density was 99.0/km² (256.4/mi²). There were 1,093 housing units at an average density of 39.6/km² (102.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the census-designated place (CDP) is 93.57% White, 1.72% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 2.41% Asian, 1.02% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. 7.60% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 952 households out of which 45.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.5% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.7% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.30.
In the community the population was spread out with 30.8% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males.
The median income for a household in the community was $74,231, and the median income for a family was $92,334. Males had a median income of $51,250 versus $46,650 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $39,521. 6.2% of the population and 4.3% of families were below the poverty line. 8.5% are under the age of 18.
As of 2004, there are 9,500 residents in 3,745 households (including apartments).
[edit] Books
There are three books that tell some of the history of Celebration. The first two were written by residents who did their research in 1997; they focus on the early problems with construction and the misconceptions involving the town. Both books were published in 2000.
- Celebration, U.S.A.: Living in Disney's Brave New Town by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (ISBN 0-8050-5561-4)
- The Celebration Chronicles: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Property Value in Disney's New Town by Andrew Ross (ISBN 0-345-41752-6)
The third book was published in 2004.
- Celebration: The Story of a Town by Michael Lassell (ISBN 0-7868-5405-7)
[edit] Additional images
 Downtown Celebration |
 Downtown Celebration |
 Downtown Celebration, with art deco-style movie theater |
 Celebration Independent, the local newspaper |
 Employees of Celebration spray the downtown park with mosquito repellant |
 Typical street sign, downtown Celebration |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Celebration, Florida official web site
- Celebration Community Network "Front Porch" listing town events
- Celebration unofficial web site and discussion board
- Celebration Florida Blog
- Celebration Florida Real Estate Info
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
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