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The Unlikely Origins of Walt Disney’s Epcot Theme Park

One of my favorite theme parks is Walt Disney World’s Epcot in Orlando, Florida. Being able to experience the cultures of different countries in such a short ride is what makes this park so great. But how Epcot got started in 1982 is a pretty remarkable story, and probably epitomizes the progressive thinking of Disney’s creators. In addition, Walt Disney himself did not imagine this area as just another theme park, but as something much more visionary.

The concept of Epcot from the beginning was a vision of a community that was to be an example for other communities to emulate. The novel thinking regarding construction methods like Disney’s Contemporary Resort Hotel and Polynesian Resort Hotel connecting Epcot via a transportation system, the monorail, was quite revolutionary. Special thought was given to maintaining the environment and the ecosystem. This was a city that was going to start from scratch and become a prototype for cities of the future.

When planning for Epcot began, Walt Disney World was in its third year on track to become the top family vacation destination in the country. But there were plenty of outside forces at the time that would cause most business ventures to stop and wait for better times. Right in the middle of planning for Epcot there was a global energy crisis in the mid-’70s. Not only did this cause gas prices to rise (it’s hard to believe we were still paying less than a dollar a gallon), but the fuel shortages led to long lines just to get gasoline.

Speed ​​limits were lowered to 55 miles per hour, and all of this had a major effect on transportation throughout the United States. All of these problems had a huge negative effect on attendance at Disney World, as it dropped by as much as 800,000 visitors. But Disney executives, confident that things will always get better, spent eight years developing and implementing Epcot. In 2012 it celebrated its 30th anniversary as the sixth most visited park in the world.

So, does Epcot fulfill the dreams of its founder, Walt Disney? Probably not entirely, since after Disney’s death, the company decided it couldn’t run the city without its creator’s vision. Epcot has influenced the development of cities like Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista. But most believe that it really hit the mark in its display of international cultures and customs, which in the opinion of many people, including mine, is the main attraction at Walt Disney World.

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