Founder Walt Disney | Founded 1964 | |
Headquarters Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States Parent organizations The Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts | ||
Walt Disney World Company was the company that initially owned and operated Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida. The resort land was owned by Walt Disney World Company, Walt Disney Travel Company, and Walt Disney World Hospitality and Recreation Corporation. Today, the land and resort are owned and operated by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts division of The Walt Disney Company.
Reedy Creek Improvement District is the immediate governing jurisdiction for the land of Walt Disney World Resort including the cities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista. Walt Disney World Resort is the Orlando area's largest employer, with approximately 70,000 employees, known as "Cast Members".
History
Compass East Corporation was incorporated in Delaware on December 7, 1964. On September 30, 1966, Latin-American Development and Management Corporation, Ayefour Corporation (a pun on Interstate 4, or I-4, which was being built at the time), Tomahawk Properties, Incorporated, Reedy Creek Ranch, Incorporated, and Bay Lake Properties, Incorporated, all Florida corporations, were merged into Compass East Corporation. These companies were responsible for buying up the land that would become Walt Disney World; many companies were used in order to obscure their singular purpose.
Reedy Creek Drainage District, later renamed Reedy Creek Improvement District, was incorporated on May 13, 1966 to manage the land owned by the Compass East Corporation. On September 26, 1967, Compass East Corporation was renamed Walt Disney World Company. By this time, most of the land had been bought and the plan for Walt Disney World was public.
Walt Disney World Company was reincorporated in Florida on September 30, 1997. On January 26, 1998, Ranch and Grove Holding Corporation, which had owned some of the land in Walt Disney World since April 12, 1972 was merged into Walt Disney World Company. Reedy Creek Energy Services, Incorporated, originally known as Reedy Creek Utilities Company, Incorporated was merged into Walt Disney World Company on September 30, 1999. On October 2, 2000, MDMP Corporation, which had been deeded many improvements in Walt Disney World on December 20, 1996, was merged into Walt Disney World Company.