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Celebration, Florida

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.

World Drive connects Celebration directly to the Walt Disney World parks and resorts; 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 the town's office buildings.

History

In the early 1990s, the Disney Development Company established the Celebration Company to spearhead its development within approximately of land in the southern portion of the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Total investment for the project is estimated at US$2.5 billion.

The master plan was developed by Cooper, Robertson & Partners and Robert A. M. Stern. Celebration is planned in an early 20th century-architectural style and is not zoned for high-density residences.

The first phase of residential development occurred in the summer of 1996 with Celebration Village, West Village and Lake Evalyn; this was followed by the North Village, South Village, East Village and Aquila Reserve and the final Artisan Park phases.

Community

There are seven registered Christian Churches, one Hospital Ministry, and one Jewish congregation in Celebration.

Celebration also has a variety of community organizations that try to maintain the town; "each play a role in the governance of Celebration.

The Celebration Golf Course faces Golf Park Drive which is lined with homes. There are parks throughout the town as well as a fire department, post office, schools and a hospital.

Events

Celebration hosts many events every year, some of which include community-wide yard sales, an art show, an exotic car festival, the "Great American Pie Festival" (televised on The Food Network), a "Posh Pooch" festival, and downtown events for the Fall and Christmas seasons when autumn leaves and "snow" (small-scale soap bubbles) are released into the town square. The community also hosts a 4th of July fireworks celebration. A Fall Faith Festival was held on September 29 2007 to bring all of the Churches in town together. Fall of 2007 marked many new events in Celebration. Downtown hosted an Oktoberfest one weekend in October and a weekend in November started 'A Taste of Celebration' showcasing food from all of the downtown restaurants. Talk of Celebration hosting a GLBT Pride Parade in the summer of 2008 went underway early in the year, but eventually, did not go through.

Transportation

Locals often ride their bikes, walk, or use their NEV to get around.

Contrary to its design as a quintessential American town, Celebration does not have any road named Main Street. This is because there was already a Main Street in Osceola County, and street names cannot be duplicated in the county. The two main roads going through the center of the downtown area are named Market Street and Front Street. Other streets in Celebration include:Celebration Avenue This is considered the main drag in the town. The road stretches from U.S. 192 to Artisan Park where it ends in a traffic circle. Starting from U.S. 192 near the Disney Parks and the Celebration water tower, you can find a small shopping plaza. From there, Celebration Avenue passes the North Village, splits the Celebration golf course, winds through a few downtown shops and schools, and then proceeds into the parks and homes in the newer sections of Celebration.Celebration Boulevard Celebration Boulevard has two sections. The most public section is an avenue parallel to I-4 that includes many commercial businesses and Celebration High School. The architecture on the street is mostly Celebration Modern style. This style reflects art Streamline Moderne and Art Deco influences with its sleek lines, sparse but effective ornamentation, and ample opportunities for individually expressive special features. The entire street is lined with two rows of Washington Palms. The buildings on the street include sitting areas under the shade of trees and trellises along their frontage. The other section of Celebration Boulevard lies on the other side of the golf course, closer to the Celebration Water Tower in the North Village. Here, Celebration Boulevard is almost completely residential. In addition to the homes perched behind white picket fences, this section of Celebration Boulevard flows past the Georgetown condominiums, the community pool, and soccer fields.Celebration Place Celebration Place nearly spans the gap between the two sections of Celebration Boulevard, except that its eastern end terminates at the Water Tower Plaza instead of at the entrance to North Village on the other side of Route 417. Celebration Place is a commercial road.

Downtown

There are many shops, restaurants and other businesses located in downtown Celebration. Most are tourist-driven but many locals frequent the restaurants downtown. Disney Corporation has three centrally located buildings, known as the 200, 210 and 220 buildings, which house executives and employees from their cruise line, marketing, sales, ESPN, Bass Networks and other operations. Water Tower Place is located in the front entrance of the town, with shops, restaurants and a park in the center.

The Celebration Hotel hosts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during spring training. During the holiday season the end of November, located on Main street, bubbles pour out of the street lights to replicate snow and Christmas music is streaming from the sidewalks.

There is a water fountain that comes out from the ground it is located next to the lake surrounded by palm trees and benches.

Villages

Celebration is separated into separate areas referred to as villages. The main village, closest to downtown, is where the first homes were constructed. North Village, closest to U.S. 192, houses the Georgetown Condos as well as Acadia Estate Homes. East Village includes Roseville Corner and Aquila Loop. Lake Evalyn, generally considered its own area of Celebration but not quite its own village, includes a small lake where one can find a multitude of ducks, alligators, and the occasional river otter. South Village houses the Spring Park Loop estate homes and Heritage Hall. Additionally, Siena Condos complete the outer edge of South Village by Celebration Blvd. Mirasol includes condos with concierge service and a day spa. Artisan Park is at the end of Celebration Ave and houses condos, town homes, single-family residences as well as a clubhouse consisting of a pool, gym, and restaurant.

Books about the town

Celebration has been the subject of a number of books, including Celebration, U.S.A.: Living in Disney's Brave New Town (Booksources/9780805055610) by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins, a book about their family's experiences in the town and the town's non-traditional school, and The Celebration Chronicles: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Property Value in Disney's New Town (Booksources/9780345417527) by Andrew Ross.

Geography

Celebration is located at (28.320059, -81.540149).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the community has a total area of 10.7 square miles (27.7 km²), of which, 10.7 square miles (27.6 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.28%) is water.

Celebration is under USPS zip code 34747 sometimes known as Kissimmee, Florida. This is due to the city being unincorporated as Celebration is not a subdivision and is still considered an unincorporated city.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,736 people, 952 households, and 716 families residing in the community. The population density was 256.4 people per square mile (99.0/km²). There were 1,093 housing units at an average density of 102.4/sq mi (39.6/km²). 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).

The residents of Celebration come from all parts of the country. Some residents are 'snow birds' who only stay during the winter months although most of the population from these states are full time residents. There is also a large British population.

References in pop culture

The band Chumbawamba included a song called "Celebration, Florida" on their album WYSIWYG. It satirizes the perceived excesses of American consumerism and "nostalgia for a time they can't remember" which the town embodies.
The Erik Petersen song "Every Town Will Celebrate" also presents a satirical view of the town.
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.
On the NPR radio show "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!", a "Not My Job" segment featured Celebration, Florida.
Danny Wallace visits Celebration in his television series, How to Start Your Own Country.
James Graham Ballard makes a quotation to Celebration in one of his books, Millennium People, when the protagonist is supposed to go to a convention in Florida.