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Disney World Resort,
often referred to as simply Walt Disney World
or Disney World, is a major recreational
resort most famous for its theme parks. Owned and
operated by the Walt
Disney Parks and Resorts segment of The
Walt Disney Company, it is located in Lake
Buena Vista and Bay
Lake, Florida,
outside the city limits of Orlando.
Construction began
in 1967,
less than a year after Walt
Disney's death. It opened on October
1, 1971,
as the Magic
Kingdom, and since has added Epcot
October 1, 1982, Disney-MGM
Studios May 1, 1989 and Disney's
Animal Kingdom April 22, 1998 theme
parks.
In addition to the
four main theme
parks, the resort contains two water
parks, six golf
courses, a sports
complex, an auto race
track, twenty resort hotels and numerous
shopping, dining, and entertainment offerings. It
even has its own fire department. The 20,000-plus
acre property is the largest theme park resort in
the world, although over the past decade
significant acreage has been sold off for housing
and other developments, including land now
occupied by the Disney-built (but not owned)
community of Celebration.
It is accessible
from Central Florida's Interstate
4 via Exits 62B (World Drive), 64B (US
192 West), 65B (Osceola
Parkway West), 67B (SR
536 West), and 68 (SR
535 North). In addition, in 2006
a new western entrance opened from Exit 8 on State
Road 429 (Florida), the Western Expressway.
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