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.
Celebration is connected directly to the Walt Disney World parks and resorts by World Drive; 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. Recently, some residents have petitioned for incorporation of the town under state law. A ballot measure could go before voters in September 2007. This has become a major controversy in the community as many residents feel uninformed about the issues, especially those concerning the cost of living.

Contents

Events

Transportation

Villages

Books about the town

References in pop culture

Geography

Demographics

Famous residents

Additional images

References

External links

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 host a 4th of July fireworks celebration. Pop singer Jordan Knight performed a concert downtown in December 2006 with songs from his solo CD as well as New Kids on the Block songs.

Transportation

Contrary to its design as a quintessential American town, Celebration does not have any road named Main Street, primarily because of unwanted comparisons with Disney's more famous Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom, and secondarily because that name is already used elsewhere in Osceola 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 US 192 to Artisan Park where it ends in a traffic circle. Starting from US 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 procedes 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, Celebration High School, and hotels. 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 beautiful homes perched behind white picket fences, this section of Celebration Boulevard flows past the Georgetown condominiums, the community pool, soccer fields, and more.

★ '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. Its most notable building is the "Celebration Health - Florida Hospital" facility.

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 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 street called "Wisteria Lane", a name made famous by the ABC dramedy Desperate Housewives, and 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 as well as a day spa. Artisan Park, is at the end of Celebration Ave and houses condos, townhomes, 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'' ISBN 978-0-80-505561-0 by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins 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'' ISBN 978-0-34-541752-7 by Andrew Ross.

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 supposedly embodies.

★ 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.

Geography

Location of Celebration, Florida

Celebration is located at (28.320059, -81.540149).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the community has a total area of 27.7 km² (10.7 mi²). 27.6 km² (10.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.28%) is water.
Celebration is under USPS zip code 34747 sometimes known as Kissimmee, FL. 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 99.0/km² (256.4/mi²). There were 1,093 housing units at an average density of 39.6/km² (102.4/mi²). 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. There is a large portion of the Celebration population from New York, Michigan, and Ohio. Many of these 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.

Famous residents

★ Robert Gamez, professional golfer

★ Silvio Santos, Brazilian television host

★ Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis Colts placekicker; four-time Super Bowl Champion

★ Michael Jordan, former Chicago Bulls basketball player

Additional images

References

External links

★ Celebration, Florida's official web site

★ Celebration Community Network "Front Porch" listing town events

★ Paradise U.S.A. an article about Celebration and other New Urbanist experiments from ''Travel + Leisure Magazine''

★ Celebration Hotel