What would Florida be without WDW?

[DisneyPrincess4590]

How great of an affect do you think that WDW has had on Florida? It certainly has built the Orlando area, which, before Disney, was nothing but miles and miles of swamp land. Is Florida really just a "tourist" state?

[Phonedave]

Florida has a lot of "Snowbirds" - retired people who summer in the northern states and winter in Florida.

Coco Beach is also popular, as is Datona - for the beach and for NASCAR as well.


The keys are a very popular vacation spot as well.

There are also many many more things to do/see in Florida.

-dave

[Speedway]

Dead.

[kcnole]

Florida would still be a popular tourist location but I'm not sure Orlando would be much more than it was back then. The beautiful beaches of Florida would always draw people to them, but the places between the beaches may not have been much.

[WDW1974]

A very different place.

And, yeah, better in some ways. No doubt about it.

[evanescence4ever]

Originally Posted by DisneyPrincess4590

How great of an affect do you think that WDW has had on Florida? It certainly has built the Orlando area, which, before Disney, was nothing but miles and miles of swamp land. Is Florida really just a "tourist" state?

Florida, to me, is probably the biggest tourist area in the country, because of Walt disney. it makes me proud to say i live in florida because this is a place that people dream of living in. Without Walt Disney and his creation of Disney world right here in orlando, universal studios, sea world, and many more famous tourism areas would have never come to be here in florida. before 1971, florida was just beaches. but after walt disney world, florida became known as the theme park area, so without disney world, universal and sea world might be in california or some other state, because of the fact that disney world sparked a chain reaction that tourism companies realized they had to build a park here because of the many tourists visiting florida so often.

[mikeland]

I have a feeling that if Disney had not built a theme park in Florida, someone else would have built one eventually.

[upov]

Like others have said there's more to Florida than Disney, just like there's more to do in California than the DLR.

I think there would still be theme and amusement parks in other parts of the state reguardless of Disney. Cypress Gardens, and Silver Springs, Weeki Wachee, Gatorland, Marineland, and Miami Seaquarium were all already going strong well before Disney arrived. Busch Gardens already had an attraction on the west coast before Disney. The Vistor Complex at Kennedy Space Center was bound to have happened due to a majority of the country's space program being based there. As was already mentioned the beaches will always be an attraction in this state.

I think there would definately be 1 or more Six Flags/Cedar Fair types of parks here in this state too had not Disney come to Florida. I also believe Sea World or something very similar would have come to the state due to it being mostly surrounded by sea water and the different aquatic life of it's coasts.

[kcnole]

Yes someone would have built something, but would it have been a theme park or just a six flags type amusement park.

[DisneyPrincess4590]

Originally Posted by mikeland

I have a feeling that if Disney had not built a theme park in Florida, someone else would have built one eventually.

While it is true that Disneyland was the first theme park, Disney really created the idea of a "resort" and overall vacation destination when they built Walt Disney World.

I ran across this interesting article that somewhat pertains to this thread. It's also just an interesting read!
http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0703/feature4/index.html

[TDLFAN]

My answer to the original question would be: a better place to live.. NO traffic, NO dumb tourists making left turns from right lanes, NO horribly dressed UKers, MORE green pastures and biomasses, CLEANER air and atmosphere, MORE privacy and LESS crime.

[Monkey joe]

Originally Posted by TDLFAN

My answer to the original question would be: a better place to live.. NO traffic, NO dumb tourists making left turns from right lanes, NO horribly dressed UKers, MORE green pastures and biomasses, CLEANER air and atmosphere, MORE privacy and LESS crime.

How does Mickey bring crime to the area?

[flynnibus]

Originally Posted by TDLFAN

My answer to the original question would be: a better place to live.. NO traffic, NO dumb tourists making left turns from right lanes, NO horribly dressed UKers, MORE green pastures and biomasses, CLEANER air and atmosphere, MORE privacy and LESS crime.

And not quite the airline business there to let you live there..

Talk about biting the hand that feeds you..

[Phonedave]

Originally Posted by Monkey joe

How does Mickey bring crime to the area?

Mickey brings tourists - tourists who have lots of cash, and are more interested in having fun than "keeping their guard up" - that in turn brings the predators.

-dave

[WDW1974]

Originally Posted by Phonedave

Mickey brings tourists - tourists who have lots of cash, and are more interested in having fun than "keeping their guard up" - that in turn brings the predators.

-dave

Exactly.

I've been a Floridian since I was an elementary school child. I grew up in the state. I went to college in the state. And I've remained in the state.

I'm very happy WDW exists.

But it has brought loads of problems with it.

Most that have happened in the last 10-15 years as WDW has overbuilt itself and has spurred uncontrolled growth in every possible area nearby.

The idea that The Mouse is a great neighbor who causes money to rain down from the heavens like pixie dust simply is as absurd as the idea WDW follows the same standards it did 20 years ago.