Chapter 69-1527, which became a law on July 3, 1969 without the Governor's approval, redefined the city boundaries. The city was completely moved, taking over some land that had been part of the City of Bay Lake (and was given up by Chapter 69-836, which became a law the same day) and including some other land that had formerly been unincorporated. Soon after, the City of Reedy Creek was renamed to the City of Lake Buena Vista to better reflect its new location, through which Reedy Creek did not flow. "Buena Vista" comes from the name of the street in Burbank, California where The Walt Disney Company is located.
The Reedy Creek Improvement District had all the powers of the City and more, raising the questions of why cities needed to be incorporated inside it. Walt Disney's original plans for the site included at least one futuristic living area. This was never built, but some of the ideas were incorporated into Epcot and later Celebration, Florida. The only residents of the city are Disney employees that live in a small community on Royal Oak Court, north of Downtown Disney. The only landowners are fully owned subsidiaries of Disney, and right-of-way for state and county roads.
Lake Buena Vista is located at (28.377362, -81.521728).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.7 km² (4.9 mi²). 12.5 km² (4.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.84%) is water.
There were 9 households out of which one had children under the age of 18 living with them, four are married couples living together, none have a female householder with no husband present. Four are households are made up of individuals, one of whom is 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.78 and the average family size was 2.40.
In the city the population was spread out with two under the age of 18, nobody between 18 and 24, three from 25 to 44, six from 45 to 64, and five who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53 years. The male-to-female ratio is 1:1.
The median income for a household in the city was $39,375, and the median income for a family was $62,500. Males had a median income of $60,000 versus $38,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,769. No one in the city is below the poverty line.
Note that the 1990 population includes the Vista Way apartments, which began operation in 1988 and were de-annexed in the 1990 census.
The only subdivision within Lake Buena Vista falls within the attendance zones of Sand Lake Elementary School, Southwest Middle School, and Dr. Phillips High School.