The Walt Disney World Resort, informally known as Walt Disney World or simply Disney World, is an entertainment complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The resort opened on October 1, 1971 and is the most visited attraction in the world, with attendance of 52.5 million annually. It is owned by The Walt Disney Company through its division Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. The property covers 42,000 acres (16,997 ha; 66 sq mi), in which it houses 24 themed resorts, four theme parks, two water parks, and several additional recreational and entertainment venues. Magic Kingdom is the original theme park on the complex, and Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Disney's Animal Kingdom opened throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Designed to supplement Disneyland in Anaheim, California, which had opened in 1955, the complex was developed by Walt Disney in the 1960s, though he died in 1966 before construction on "The Florida Project" began. After extensive lobbying, the Government of Florida created the Reedy Creek Improvement District, a special government district that essentially gave The Walt Disney Company the standard powers and autonomy of an incorporated city. Original plans called for the inclusion of an "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow", a planned city that would serve as a test bed for new innovations for city living.
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