One of the most fascinating things about WDW in Orlando is the foresight Walt and his team had in selecting the site for the parks. The selection and deliberate piecemeal purchase of the land was brilliant, spurred by an overhead flight. The team was originally checking out Ocala, but when they saw the intersection of I4 and the turnpike, they knew they’d found their home. Accessibility and huge tracts of available land!
If you’re interested in this, I spoke about this on ResortLoop.com’s Podcast Episode 173, aptly entitled “The Blessing of Size.” You can check it out, and if it tickles your fancy, read some great original material from some scholars of the area. I’ve got links to the books in my suggested reading section. I’ve put on an Amazon storefront so I can add books to the list any time I mention them.
Full disclosure–if enough people start ordering through my Amazon links I will get a small commission, but my actual intent is simply to make the titles easily searchable for you as I buy pretty much everything on Amazon anyway and I’d be linking there without the pretty ‘storefront’ anyway. So no pressure at all, I just want an easy way to show you some great literature. I plan to incorporate ‘book reports’ in this blog so you can determine what you’d be into before you order it–from the library, or Amazon!
Project Future by Chad Denver Emerson – This one is an authorized book, meaning it’s definitely written with admiration.
Team Rodent by Carl Hiaasen – A more critical take of the economic development in Orlando that is the result of WDW’s presence.