I'm from Ireland and Celebration was the first town I visited in the US. It was absolutely bizarre, I initially wondered if all American towns felt so surreal and artificial. I quickly learned that Celebration is a strange anomaly.
I used to live in Celebration and I loved every moment of it. The scenery was idyllic, i felt safe going out for a walk alone even at midnight everyone you met was nice. Not that it didn't have its problems. Everything mentioned about the homes here is correct and the majority of the people that lived in Celebration did have a higher median income than the rest of the country and yes the majority of the people that worked inside of Celebration could not even afford to live there. I myself worked in Orlando because that was the only place i could find a job that payed me enough to live in Celebration, but the town was not a disaster. If you could afford to live there its like living the dream. I still go there on occasion to catch a movie or go to a bar because i know i probably won't have to deal with rowdy patrons or high crime.
Im from Kissimmee... Celebration is a good safe place to pull over and count the bullet holes in your car you got while driving around in Central Florida..
Haha I live in CT and my parents originally were going to purchase a house in Celebration for my family to grow up in because Disney is such a big part of our lives
There is a book published about 20 years ago entitled Celebration USA. It’s a first resident point of view that pretty much tells this exact story. I have read it many times and it is a good read. I would recommend it very much.
I remember the old Benny Hill joke when he described making a movie: the scenery was beautiful, the only problem was that people kept getting in front of it. If you want a perfect town, don’t let people move into it.
It'll be really interesting to see what the town looks like in another 25 years. By that point, the original homes are either going to be demolished and rebuilt, or completely refurbished.
It’s okay. No school in Osceola country has a capable faculty. Also, you are really heavily emphasizing the teething years. Celebration is stupidly different now and it a great town. My only complaint is that demand to live there is still so high that the housing is wildly overpriced. Sincerely, -Florida Man (oh wait.. no, not that)
I'm sure if they could have they would have gotten their own local school district just for Celebration, but Florida doesn't allow that. they have county based school districts. I suspect a lot of people use private schools there as well.
@@Imperial0666 That is true. As a former teacher at the high school as well as Celebration resident, the high school has a very low percentage of Celebration students. Most are bused in. The teachers are fantastic; it's the system that stinks. My older two kids went to the high school for all four of their years, my youngest began in the first grade at the K-8 (which is small). We chose to move, but not due to the school or town. (Love Merritt Island!) We enjoyed living there and I'm laughing at this thread. It is a unique place, but the people are nice, everyday people. Not snobby. We still have friends there and frequently are there. It is not all "white" people! People are too quick to judge or believe everything they hear.
My mom and her family lived in celebration, they were actually part of the initial wave. So after the video I asked my mom about the school there and she laughed and said "it was such a joke"
Even if Celebration wasn't the ideal model town, I still think there are plenty of lesson you can learn from it to further improve existing communities.
I worked at the hospital in Celebration. They were incredibly focused on creating a facade. They didn’t allow overhead announcements unless there was a code blue. They had strict dress codes. They made the hospital look like a hotel that reflected Epcot, where different areas of the hospital represented different countries around the world.
as someone who lives in Orlando and visits celebration frequently I love this video and this channel. keep it up rob, I love all the detail you put in these videos
Martin Petersson Not OP but I was surprised by how community-oriented it was when I visited. Disney definitely achieved their goal on that front. Like, if you've lived there for a while and hang out in the local pub alone, you're probably going to end up seeing people you know anyway. To be honest, before I visited for the first time, I was expecting that everyone would be uptight and just keep to themselves and only live there because it's Disney, but there seems to be a real sense of comradery between the locals.
I do not feel it was much like EPCOT. EPCOT was to be only for people who worked at Disney. They were not to own any property, and could not stay after retirement. In exchange of not owning, they would always have the most up-to-date technologies in their homes, be able to use the monorail, have energy produced, food grown, and large international food/shopping areas. The schools, I imagine, would also (like everything else there) only be for residents.
@@a_cowwithlegs Yes...that was the original concept for Epcot (acronym for Experimental Planned Community Of Tomorrow).Walt was still alive when it was first proposed,, but those who knew better told him as residents would have all those strictures and regulations, and no representational government--only the Disney organization--he would have to pay people to live there.
Still don't understand why disney had an issue with residents voting rather than just landowners. If he could create districts that allowed only landowner voting, why didn't that extend to a housing district too?
These videos about Celebration were AMAZING. I have been waiting a very long time for someone to delve this deep into the story behind the town. Thanks Rob!
I went there a few years ago with my brother. He said he was scared to sneeze. Creepy and I can't get it into my head that the shops are real, the hospital is real etc. Just all seems like a toy town
When I was in Orange County CA in 2003, the builders called it "90 days from pour to door" -- they would build the houses so fast. And then the shit would hit the fan when folks moved in.
I live in celebration! It is really nice with a great school. We do have a lot of people from other places. We have people knocking on are doors sometimes. But it’s actually really nice. Kids walk down town to go eat after school.
Fascinating background info on Celebration. We still loved our visit to Celebration, staying at the Bohemian Hotel - we just posted the video from our trip to Celebration on our channel.
It wasn't groundbreaking even at the time, it was riding a wave of neo-traditional communities begun primarily by the architectural firm Duany Plater-Zyberk. There was also Kentlands in Maryland, and Seaside in Florida (where The Truman Show was filmed).
Sounds like what has happened in Santa Fe New Mexico! All the rich Californians moved in, started causing the price of real estate up. They got into the local government and started passing laws to make sure that all the homes in a certain area had to conform to certain criteria. The people that work in Santa Fe, for the most part, can't afford to live there!
I actually live Celebration not bad have my greatest friends here one my my greatest Memories here and has one of the greatest Schools which I go to all in all great town, nice to see a video about my home
I was born in Celebration. It is in fact a cult town. If you walk through the wood path behind the school that connects to downtown you'll see some black balloons hanging from the trees
wow, I went there when on vacation in Orlando with a friend when I was younger, and had no idea of its history! I didn't even know it was Disney that created it (yeah yeah, I live under a rock). I only remember thinking it was a mini town with tourist shops like the ones by the beach. Very cool video!
creepier than that... they require certain curtains, no palm trees, and people had to host other neighbors on their porch every so often. no florida homes allowed--which was a problem cuz this is florida. there's a reason we don't build new England houses here.
No palms?? How can you live in Florida without palms?? I remember when I lived in Florida as a kid, we learned about the local flora and fauna and they spent a week on just the different palms there were and how to take care of em. How can you live in a place in Florida without palms? @.@ The one time I did go through celebration it was creepy as fuck.I didnt see a single person walking around...
There are palm trees in town, and no one is required to host anyone on their porches. Certain curtains, yes and no. There isn’t a list of curtains you need but if they are like bright or crazy and you can see them from the outside you have to put blinds first. Not trying to be rude with this comment, just saying. :)
@@JokerL1000 They usually just...sink/become extremely moldy. New England homes aren't meant for swamps and sinkholes. And they don't match Florida's theme of thick, stout, and mostly flood proof concrete homes painted bright colors.
Normally I hate when outside voices donan expose on celebration, as people, stories and details get botched. This hits in some accurate points. I lived there for essentially the beginning from 1998 when the school opened. My mother just moved out 18 years later. It had its problems. And it was far, very far, from Walt’s visions for Epcot. But it was great for people to live in Florida but not feel like they were in Florida. It was clean. It had charm. Sometimes it’s the simple things.
BOTTOM LINE, the problem lies on the flawed laws and regulations in the State of Florida that gives free range to developers contractors and industry to profit over quality, security and durability. When you buy Real Estate is Florida "there's a sucker born every minute"
I spent an entire summer in Celebration years ago. We had to do classes in their school and we ended up moving out because the air conditioner broke. It was the summer, so nobody bothered to fix it right away.
I’m one of the kids that have grown up in celebration, I’m in my senior year now! I’m honestly SO grateful my parents had decided to move here right before i was born... couldn’t have asked for a better childhood!!
It’s actually great to live in celebration, I can’t believe theirs a video showing the place I went to elementary school, this is really cool, and about controlling the town and trying to force it to look nice and stuff is nothing different from any other development. Being someone who grew up there, I can say I do understand what the outside world is like, and the town is pretty great
I recently bought a home; the first thing I told the realtor was NO HOA (pronounced whore) stealing my money and telling me how to live. He says that's the first thing he hears 90% of the time.
@@Cal-El You can't. No one had the power to opt out of HOAs. Like trying to opt out of county or city govt...except HOAs are corporations. How is that legal?
It does feel like the Truman show or Pleasantville, but it is actually very multi ethnic. A lot of people come and live there from different countries all over the world. And the walking paths and design of the place is actually incredible.
What I think is funny is the issues they had with the housing was considered unacceptable then and the building shoddy, but it sounded like any given development you buy into today and no one seems to mind.
Exactly, LivingAsLynn! And that goes double for Florida. Also, developers' selling dreams which are nothing but hype, are the NORM for 'planned communities' - virtually all of them.
I agree as well, we visited Celebration many times and by 2002 could not find a affordable entry level home to start a family. 250k was the going price for a town home.I had built a home by OIA in 1995. Experienced many issues with construction and quality of build with that house. We found a Neo-Traditional community on the east side of Orlando and could afford the 165k starting price. Many Celebration style amenities were promised. We built in a home in Avalon Park in 2003 and once again had many problems with construction time contractors and build quality. During the decade Florida was in the midst of a huge building spree with not much oversight by the state or Orange County. Many issues that were approved by inspectors had to be revisited and fixed over the years. There were many other community amenities that were promised by the builders and developers that never materialized. The developer had a 10 year building plan and had sold out all homesites in four. Some of the plans such as downtown apartment buildings to this day are empty lots. Many parts of the building plan the was shown to homeowners changed. Some of the townhomes that were approved to be be built by builders were hastily changed and my opinion, made cheaper to foster even quicker sales. In the end there was some much demand during this period everyone was geared at making a quick buck. All of Florida experienced this from the early 90’s to the bubble bust in 2008. I had many of the same problems in my home as anyone in Celebration. I think that because Disney had its name on the project it was, and still is, under a microscope of scrutiny. I remember that during the time we were looking to buy in Celebration that two books had been written, one by an author who lived there for less than four years and sold out. The published a book about their experiences that was heavily critical of Both Disney and Celebration. Which was easy fodder to sell/tell a story. I think the bigger tale to tell after all these years of a brave attempt to start something new. Neo-Traditionalism in community building has died out mainly because it doesn’t work economically for developers and builders and socially for the buyers, they want “ Main Street “ but don’t like someone telling them what curtains to buy or how you should plant your garden and decorate you porch.
I was born into a neighborhood near Chicago that looks like this, so I would have to disagree. They definitely stole from this concept here! Almost looks identical.
Amber Shores- if the bottom line isn’t protected the business fails and everyone loses their job. And so Disney is successful as a whole and millions have worked for the company.
Going to Disney every year for almost 20, we visited celebration almost everyone of those years. Enjoying the snow on main street and the local festivities. It is a definite place I would live. It just feels like a safe, relaxing community where everything you need is right there. The people were great and the streets and homes pristine. It’s a shame that there wasn’t a bit more of Disney put into the community. It would’ve been really cool had they been able to extend a monorail to the parks from that location. But all in all, it’s definitely a great place. I do feel for those, who like me, Who thought there was going to be more of a Disney presence and bought homes because of it. But, if you could look past that, it is still like a throwback to 50s leave it to Beaver living. Something you don’t get many places anymore. I actually feel fortunate, because I just bought a place in the middle of a main street that still has brick-lined roads and mom and pop shops surrounding it. With festivals and street fairs that feel like throwback to my childhood. I definitely view it as special. Especially when it snows, at night, with the street lights. It feels like the middle of a Christmas movie. The only thing I can think about when I’m experiencing it is, how many people in this day and age get to live like its 60 years prior?
I worked for an old lady in celebration. And while I was driving her she mentioned about these complex apartments that were and look new but it was to be demolished because the infrastructure wasn’t good. The were cracks everywhere. So yeah. But overall, celebration is a charming town. It is nice to walk and get something to eat there.
I use to work 4 a a/c company in 2002. I was in Cel quite a lot. There were multiple problems in construction of houses. Bad drywall, leaks, faulty elec work etc. It took years for all the shoddy work that was done initially to be rectified . Residents there were highly upset to find there dream homes turned into nightmares. I will never forget the anxiety on the faces of homeowners who were highly upset. I wonder if they ever replaced all the defective drywall that was there. Welcome 2 disney!!!!!!
Dan Sulin , according to Zillow, the median home value estimate for Celebration is $353,000 - that’s roughly a third more to double the median for some of the surrounding communities in Osceola County. Keep in mind that’s the median for everything for sale in Celebration right now, from condos to multi-million dollar large luxury homes ( there are a few million+ dollar homes on the market).
@@MrSchnebs Which begs the ultimate question. Why would anyone want to live in Central FL (Osceola County) in the midst of the summer when there's mosquitoes, bugs , roaches and heat and more heat and humidity that will ruin any perfect up do. Its ONLY really nice down there starting about mid-October and through about May. After that and during late Spring all the way into Fall, you still get the daily thunderstorms, 90-100 degree heat and humidity that will wrinkle any shirt and flatten even the best hairdo. YOUR A/C will run 24/7 in the summer and the electric bill will reflect that. If you're a snowbird, then I guess it's fine. Funny thing is, once the Villages , just Northwest of there and south of Ocala FL really got going, many people moved there from Celebration.
Had to wait until the premier ended because I was seconds late and it said video is premiering please come back when the video is published. Now I come back and I missed the whole premier and live chat =[
you can actually buy homes in Disney World. they're like 13 million and are only about 5 thousand square feet. for that price, it should be 7-8 thousand square feet. not to mention you get very little backyard and are very close to your neighbors.
I grew up 20 minutes from celebration and kids there were mean and spoiled,, or maybe it’s the fact that I grew up on the poorer side and poorer schools, but I use to work at a restaurant over there and it’s so unsettling how northern and “perfect” the architecture looks
Cotino seems more like Golden Oak than Celebration, the former being just a residential area that's conveniently near the park, not an entire town with the phony image of perfection.
@@ambskater97 more like a Celebration that only Golden Oak residents could afford. Need a place to stay during hurricane season? Come out here to the desert!
The city I grew up in is VERY similar to this concept. Look up Madison, Mississippi on google images. In the 1980’s, a woman named Mary (mayor Mary as everyone knows her) from Jackson moved to a tiny farming community just south of Jackson and started developing it like crazy. It has the highest property values, strictest building codes, no apartments allowed, and has by far the best schools in Mississippi. (The demographics are unsurprisingly also very not diverse). Every time I go back there’s more unnecessarily ornate buildings or mall. Growing up there was a trip to say the least.
Jaybird I meannnnnn.... it kinda is tho... lmao I was raised there in the late 90’s/early 2000’s and go back every so often and it gets more and more like this every year imo. They have the most expensive Walmart in the world and the most expensive movie theater in the southeast bc of how strict the building codes are and how fancy they have to be. Everything built there has Corinthian columns and a specific color palette. The Wendy’s is made of brick and has iron work on it. Also have you seen the ridgeland mall? They basically recreated an Italian city plan with giant fountains and street names and everything. Nothing wrong with nice stuff but it is a very stark contrast to the rest of Mississippi and especially Jackson with the declining state that it’s in now since all the affluent people are in Madison now.
You should read up on the history of Robert Davis, his town of Seaside, Florida, and the growing trend of New Urbanism. Celebration is one of hundreds of communities since the creation of Seaside that has faced these same struggles.
I've been there as a kid on holiday, knowing nothing aoubt the US, not Celebration, nor speaking english. It was magical and amazing. Though Idk how I'd think about it today. Maybe it's best to just keep the memory alive :)
for me, the quintessential "Disney fan" is some upper-middle-class white wine mom from a bourgie Orlando suburb (though not necessarily Celebration) that has complained to her HOA about black kids riding bikes on her street at least twice
I visit there almost every other weekend, and it’s not as bad as people make it seem. People are nice and normal, there’s a Chick-fil-A near where I visit and a mall. It’s a good place
I was a kid when we first went to WDW in the 90's, and I very distinctly remember watching this news piece on the TV about these pink plastic flamingos that showed up randomly in peoples' yards in Celebration. I thought it was hilarious that it was such a big deal that it ended up on the local morning news. Some prankster would just move this flamingo around the neighborhood, which was apparently against the rules there. I've tried finding that news story but have been unable to do so; if someone stumbles upon it, I'd really appreciate it if you'd pass it on to me!
Aimee Osmulski Except this isn’t in Orange County. Nonetheless, central Florida is definitely one of those places that was a paradise to live in a few generations ago but is now a hellhole.
On one of the Disney trips my dad was rushed to celebration hospital. At the time we didn't know celebration was a time and we couldn't get over why they would name a hospital celebration 😭
When I was in 6th grade, we went to Orlando on a family vacation. My parents wanted to mail some postcards, and someone had told them to use the post office in Celebration. When we stopped there, it looked exactly like something out the the Truman show (right down to the movie extras riding golf carts in their plaid shorts). If you're not prepared for it, it's like driving into some weird time warp. Since then, I've been back and it's not as spooky.
You don't hear nothing about the wood floors unless the roof of every house leaked & fucked them up or some other reason fucked them up. The reason I know the wood flooring was awesome, because my uncles and cousin did Celebration
I might be talked into moving back to the US for a house in Celebration. But Disney should have kept ownership, and just leased the residences. I would prefer that. 😎
I've been at Celebration and although everything looked nice, it felt like I was inside the Truman Show.
That’s Seaside, also in Florida.
That's what it looks like 😂
LOL
I've always had the impression that every blade of grass had to follow Disney's standards or the Mickey police would be knocking on your door.
But you have to fallow RULES
I'm from Ireland and Celebration was the first town I visited in the US. It was absolutely bizarre, I initially wondered if all American towns felt so surreal and artificial. I quickly learned that Celebration is a strange anomaly.
Lol that had to be mind boggling
I'm from Ireland as well. Whoops wrong comment. Haha. Thumbs up my man.
I used to live in Celebration and I loved every moment of it. The scenery was idyllic, i felt safe going out for a walk alone even at midnight everyone you met was nice. Not that it didn't have its problems. Everything mentioned about the homes here is correct and the majority of the people that lived in Celebration did have a higher median income than the rest of the country and yes the majority of the people that worked inside of Celebration could not even afford to live there. I myself worked in Orlando because that was the only place i could find a job that payed me enough to live in Celebration, but the town was not a disaster. If you could afford to live there its like living the dream. I still go there on occasion to catch a movie or go to a bar because i know i probably won't have to deal with rowdy patrons or high crime.
Sounds like most of Canada except everybody's broke.
Sick Game Squad Or white people strung out on meth
@gilbert martinez what the fuck does that have anything to do with this
It is a great place to live. None of these things mentioned here outweigh the positives of the community.
I rented a top garage apartment there for 5 years...
It was awesome.
Its kinda weird how Celebration and Kissimmee are right next to each other yet so so different.
Celebration is in kissimme
@jakerrr celebration is in Kissimmee technically. For example if you live in celebration you can put Kissimmee,FL in your address .
Lord Harry Balls celebration is not an official town
I live in Kissimmee and sometimes visit Celebration, it's a pretty cool. I have a friend who lives there and he says it's a pretty great place.
Im from Kissimmee... Celebration is a good safe place to pull over and count the bullet holes in your car you got while driving around in Central Florida..
What I really wanna know is do convenience stores in towns owned by Disney still sell condoms?
This is beyond science
oh shit- probably not.
Of course not, remember, Disney's entire goal is more kids to watch more vids.
They sell condoms in on-property gift shops so I would assume the answer is yes.
.
I got lost driving across Florida once and ended up in Celebration. It was so disturbing. I was like, "Wait, how did I get to Connecticut?"
I live in CT & it indeed looks like my town.
Lol
This is the best comment. 🤣🤣
Haha I live in CT and my parents originally were going to purchase a house in Celebration for my family to grow up in because Disney is such a big part of our lives
as someone who lives in ct, i can attest to this. celebration looks like all the wealthier coast towns here.
There is a book published about 20 years ago entitled Celebration USA. It’s a first resident point of view that pretty much tells this exact story. I have read it many times and it is a good read. I would recommend it very much.
I remember the old Benny Hill joke when he described making a movie: the scenery was beautiful, the only problem was that people kept getting in front of it.
If you want a perfect town, don’t let people move into it.
Sounds like just about every suburban housing development.
It's actually got a nice town centre instead of a strip mall
de sp the town center isn’t my favorite, thats the place I woulda changed to be a strip mall
Kinda sounds like they’re trying to build “Pleasantville.”
I thought the same thing too. Now I got to watch that movie again.
Ohhh I remember Lorax. Love that movie
Very entertaining! As someone who's lived in Celebration since day 1, I had no idea people had such strong feelings about a place they don't live in.
Yeah they’re all delusional it ain’t that bad 😂
It'll be really interesting to see what the town looks like in another 25 years. By that point, the original homes are either going to be demolished and rebuilt, or completely refurbished.
It's still here.
It’s okay. No school in Osceola country has a capable faculty. Also, you are really heavily emphasizing the teething years. Celebration is stupidly different now and it a great town. My only complaint is that demand to live there is still so high that the housing is wildly overpriced.
Sincerely,
-Florida Man (oh wait.. no, not that)
*BREAKING NEWS: Florida Man Detained For Alledged Connection To Real Estate Money Laundering Scheme Ran By Cultists Who Worship Cartoon Mouse.*
I'm sure if they could have they would have gotten their own local school district just for Celebration, but Florida doesn't allow that. they have county based school districts. I suspect a lot of people use private schools there as well.
@@Imperial0666 That is true. As a former teacher at the high school as well as Celebration resident, the high school has a very low percentage of Celebration students. Most are bused in. The teachers are fantastic; it's the system that stinks. My older two kids went to the high school for all four of their years, my youngest began in the first grade at the K-8 (which is small). We chose to move, but not due to the school or town. (Love Merritt Island!) We enjoyed living there and I'm laughing at this thread. It is a unique place, but the people are nice, everyday people. Not snobby. We still have friends there and frequently are there. It is not all "white" people! People are too quick to judge or believe everything they hear.
@@mustdieproductions Cartoon thumbnail and fake name. Troll.
@Crystal Method uhhh... as far as I know nobody does that. What you on about mate?
My mom and her family lived in celebration, they were actually part of the initial wave. So after the video I asked my mom about the school there and she laughed and said "it was such a joke"
I've been to Celebration school
@@WinstonPoptart details please!
Clearly wasnt that bad if she managed to get an education and a job and afford you
Jaymee McAliece her mom might have left before she went to school
@@craigcode7103 What details would you like to know about the school? It is very close from Celebration. Like a good 20 minute walking distance.
Even if Celebration wasn't the ideal model town, I still think there are plenty of lesson you can learn from it to further improve existing communities.
E-ManAnimates it’s still beautiful, the park is pretty cool too there’s also Christmas in celebration that gets pretty fun
Honestly, a part of me wants to live there.
E-ManAnimates I'd Move there...
I also go there to relax and eat. Such a peaceful neighborhood with lots of places to stroll.
Those lessons have been compiled by the Congress for the New Urbanism. Celebration followed most of the same guidelines.
I worked at the hospital in Celebration. They were incredibly focused on creating a facade. They didn’t allow overhead announcements unless there was a code blue. They had strict dress codes. They made the hospital look like a hotel that reflected Epcot, where different areas of the hospital represented different countries around the world.
Wow they want you to wear a uniform, what monsters 🤡
as someone who lives in Orlando and visits celebration frequently I love this video and this channel. keep it up rob, I love all the detail you put in these videos
Thanks!
So what's Celebration like?
Martin Petersson Not OP but I was surprised by how community-oriented it was when I visited. Disney definitely achieved their goal on that front. Like, if you've lived there for a while and hang out in the local pub alone, you're probably going to end up seeing people you know anyway. To be honest, before I visited for the first time, I was expecting that everyone would be uptight and just keep to themselves and only live there because it's Disney, but there seems to be a real sense of comradery between the locals.
Nice, seems like a good place to live :)
This town slightly creeps me out, it reminds me of The Truman Show.
Celebration remiands me of ''Stepford''
Well the town In The Truman Show is in Florida. :o
Mostly it’s because we’re used to Metropolitan life that involves a different level of crime lol
@jakerrr the movie was filmed in Seaside, Florida.
jakerrr wrong in Florida
I do not feel it was much like EPCOT. EPCOT was to be only for people who worked at Disney. They were not to own any property, and could not stay after retirement. In exchange of not owning, they would always have the most up-to-date technologies in their homes, be able to use the monorail, have energy produced, food grown, and large international food/shopping areas. The schools, I imagine, would also (like everything else there) only be for residents.
no epcot was for everyone to live in
That's da culprit in your profile pic. I knew I recognized him. He was the lil bastard sweepin up all da field mice.
@@a_cowwithlegs Yes...that was the original concept for Epcot (acronym for Experimental Planned Community Of Tomorrow).Walt was still alive when it was first proposed,, but those who knew better told him as residents would have all those strictures and regulations, and no representational government--only the Disney organization--he would have to pay people to live there.
Still don't understand why disney had an issue with residents voting rather than just landowners. If he could create districts that allowed only landowner voting, why didn't that extend to a housing district too?
These videos about Celebration were AMAZING. I have been waiting a very long time for someone to delve this deep into the story behind the town. Thanks Rob!
Anyone back here after Disney just announced Storyliving, or is it just me?
That's how I got here! Never heard of anything like this! Did you come from the Jason video (I think that's his name)
Yea the Jason A Chan. I love his videos.
If Disney wanted a perfect town they shouldn’t have put it in Kissimmee...🤦♂️😂🤣
If Disney wanted a perfect town they shouldn't have let people move in to it.
John Stanley facts they should have just turned it into more theme park.
LMAO!!!
disney world is in kissimmee where else they gon put it 😭
I'm not going to lie, I absolutely love the idea of Celebration. I really want to visit! I wouldn't mind living in this type of a place either.
I went there a few years ago with my brother. He said he was scared to sneeze. Creepy and I can't get it into my head that the shops are real, the hospital is real etc. Just all seems like a toy town
I went to celebration high and let me tell you, those kids are so bubble sheltered 😂
When I was in Orange County CA in 2003, the builders called it "90 days from pour to door" -- they would build the houses so fast. And then the shit would hit the fan when folks moved in.
I grew up there. My house was the one in the background when the body was being taken out.
It still looks like a great place to me! It’s beautiful, and it looks safe and clean. I’d live there if I had the opportunity!
This town is the closest we'll ever get to EPCOT actually happening, only for it to become like every other American town in the end.
I live in celebration! It is really nice with a great school. We do have a lot of people from other places. We have people knocking on are doors sometimes. But it’s actually really nice. Kids walk down town to go eat after school.
Fascinating background info on Celebration. We still loved our visit to Celebration, staying at the Bohemian Hotel - we just posted the video from our trip to Celebration on our channel.
It wasn't groundbreaking even at the time, it was riding a wave of neo-traditional communities begun primarily by the architectural firm Duany Plater-Zyberk. There was also Kentlands in Maryland, and Seaside in Florida (where The Truman Show was filmed).
Seaside and Watercolor Florida definitely have a creepy vibe under the surface.
Celebration is a beautiful place! It’s a life style.
Sounds like what has happened in Santa Fe New Mexico! All the rich Californians moved in, started causing the price of real estate up. They got into the local government and started passing laws to make sure that all the homes in a certain area had to conform to certain criteria. The people that work in Santa Fe, for the most part, can't afford to live there!
Jennie Frank *Cough*Toronto*Cough*
You know how white people do
That's just gross.
@@bandombeviews6035 Oh god, yes. I never thought I'd have to explain to anyone why a vacancy tax should exist, but here we are!
Dawg people come to California to do that. If ts a rich people problem not a California problem.
I actually live Celebration not bad have my greatest friends here one my my greatest Memories here and has one of the greatest Schools which I go to all in all great town, nice to see a video about my home
This is one of the best videos you've ever produced Rob. Very high quality. Keep up the good work!
Thanks!
Black hole sun, won't you come...
Hahahahahaha brilliant! Perfect use of this lyric
Actually, the sun would turn into a white dwarf. Only massive stars have chance of turning into blackholes. Not as catchy, but correct. 😉
I was born in Celebration. It is in fact a cult town. If you walk through the wood path behind the school that connects to downtown you'll see some black balloons hanging from the trees
wow, I went there when on vacation in Orlando with a friend when I was younger, and had no idea of its history! I didn't even know it was Disney that created it (yeah yeah, I live under a rock). I only remember thinking it was a mini town with tourist shops like the ones by the beach. Very cool video!
creepier than that... they require certain curtains, no palm trees, and people had to host other neighbors on their porch every so often. no florida homes allowed--which was a problem cuz this is florida. there's a reason we don't build new England houses here.
No palms?? How can you live in Florida without palms?? I remember when I lived in Florida as a kid, we learned about the local flora and fauna and they spent a week on just the different palms there were and how to take care of em. How can you live in a place in Florida without palms? @.@ The one time I did go through celebration it was creepy as fuck.I didnt see a single person walking around...
There are palm trees in town, and no one is required to host anyone on their porches. Certain curtains, yes and no. There isn’t a list of curtains you need but if they are like bright or crazy and you can see them from the outside you have to put blinds first. Not trying to be rude with this comment, just saying. :)
Why dont yall build new englamd houses
@@JokerL1000 They usually just...sink/become extremely moldy. New England homes aren't meant for swamps and sinkholes. And they don't match Florida's theme of thick, stout, and mostly flood proof concrete homes painted bright colors.
We have plenty of palm trees here and I can buy whatever curtains I choose. Smh.
I like the feature, this is pretty cool. I think your idea of setting it up the night before, or the morning of, is a good idea!
My best friend growing up lived in Celebration, her house almost always smelled like mold.
Here we go again!
Walt should have just played animal crossing
Normally I hate when outside voices donan expose on celebration, as people, stories and details get botched. This hits in some accurate points. I lived there for essentially the beginning from 1998 when the school opened. My mother just moved out 18 years later. It had its problems. And it was far, very far, from Walt’s visions for Epcot. But it was great for people to live in Florida but not feel like they were in Florida. It was clean. It had charm. Sometimes it’s the simple things.
Interesting video! I was hoping you would discuss the movie theater that has been closed for years in Celebration. I've read a few articles about it.
BOTTOM LINE, the problem lies on the flawed laws and regulations in the State of Florida that gives free range to developers contractors and industry to profit over quality, security and durability. When you buy Real Estate is Florida "there's a sucker born every minute"
I spent an entire summer in Celebration years ago. We had to do classes in their school and we ended up moving out because the air conditioner broke. It was the summer, so nobody bothered to fix it right away.
When I visited celebration in my early 20’s, I wanted to live there so badly. This was late 90’s
I’m one of the kids that have grown up in celebration, I’m in my senior year now! I’m honestly SO grateful my parents had decided to move here right before i was born... couldn’t have asked for a better childhood!!
It’s actually great to live in celebration, I can’t believe theirs a video showing the place I went to elementary school, this is really cool, and about controlling the town and trying to force it to look nice and stuff is nothing different from any other development. Being someone who grew up there, I can say I do understand what the outside world is like, and the town is pretty great
I wanted to know about the ridiculous HOA rules. :c
The rules in Boca are ten times worse. Been here 24 years, and they aren’t that bad. Most of which is published is not true.
Boca native here. This city is ass when it comes to HOA. Avoid it at all costs
Apparently they don't allow you to piss on your neibors lawn and put your car up on cinder blocks to change the oil. WTF.
I recently bought a home; the first thing I told the realtor was NO HOA (pronounced whore) stealing my money and telling me how to live. He says that's the first thing he hears 90% of the time.
@@Cal-El
You can't. No one had the power to opt out of HOAs. Like trying to opt out of county or city govt...except HOAs are corporations. How is that legal?
It does feel like the Truman show or Pleasantville, but it is actually very multi ethnic. A lot of people come and live there from different countries all over the world. And the walking paths and design of the place is actually incredible.
It was not as magical of a place to live as I had hoped. But I still loved it and hope to move back.
Truman still hasnt realized hes living in a tv show
Another problem seems to me was that the homes were built too close together - "sardines in a can."
Homes constructed with particle board. Really nice if a hurricane blows through.
Lived there in 2007, it was a very nice place. Expensive, but charming.
What I think is funny is the issues they had with the housing was considered unacceptable then and the building shoddy, but it sounded like any given development you buy into today and no one seems to mind.
Exactly, LivingAsLynn! And that goes double for Florida. Also, developers' selling dreams which are nothing but hype, are the NORM for 'planned communities' - virtually all of them.
I agree as well, we visited Celebration many times and by 2002 could not find a affordable entry level home to start a family. 250k was the going price for a town home.I had built a home by OIA in 1995. Experienced many issues with construction and quality of build with that house. We found a Neo-Traditional community on the east side of Orlando and could afford the 165k starting price. Many Celebration style amenities were promised. We built in a home in Avalon Park in 2003 and once again had many problems with construction time contractors and build quality. During the decade Florida was in the midst of a huge building spree with not much oversight by the state or Orange County. Many issues that were approved by inspectors had to be revisited and fixed over the years. There were many other community amenities that were promised by the builders and developers that never materialized. The developer had a 10 year building plan and had sold out all homesites in four. Some of the plans such as downtown apartment buildings to this day are empty lots. Many parts of the building plan the was shown to homeowners changed. Some of the townhomes that were approved to be be built by builders were hastily changed and my opinion, made cheaper to foster even quicker sales. In the end there was some much demand during this period everyone was geared at making a quick buck. All of Florida experienced this from the early 90’s to the bubble bust in 2008. I had many of the same problems in my home as anyone in Celebration. I think that because Disney had its name on the project it was, and still is, under a microscope of scrutiny. I remember that during the time we were looking to buy in Celebration that two books had been written, one by an author who lived there for less than four years and sold out. The published a book about their experiences that was heavily critical of Both Disney and Celebration. Which was easy fodder to sell/tell a story. I think the bigger tale to tell after all these years of a brave attempt to start something new. Neo-Traditionalism in community building has died out mainly because it doesn’t work economically for developers and builders and socially for the buyers, they want “ Main Street “ but don’t like someone telling them what curtains to buy or how you should plant your garden and decorate you porch.
I was born into a neighborhood near Chicago that looks like this, so I would have to disagree. They definitely stole from this concept here! Almost looks identical.
Good vid Rob! But just goes to show that Disney is a business and always protects their bottom line in the end!
Amber Shores- if the bottom line isn’t protected the business fails and everyone loses their job. And so Disney is successful as a whole and millions have worked for the company.
This is so disney. A big flashy image that turns out to be completely false.
I walked through celebration back in 2001, to be honest, it felt eerie, oppressive and abnormal. I did see an armadillo through, which was weird.
I went to get ice cream there a while back. It really felt like I was in some sort of movie. It had that nice small European town feeling.
Sounds amazing!!
Nice to see some history and glad you included the Celebration Marathon. I am doing my third half there next year.
Going to Disney every year for almost 20, we visited celebration almost everyone of those years. Enjoying the snow on main street and the local festivities. It is a definite place I would live. It just feels like a safe, relaxing community where everything you need is right there. The people were great and the streets and homes pristine. It’s a shame that there wasn’t a bit more of Disney put into the community. It would’ve been really cool had they been able to extend a monorail to the parks from that location. But all in all, it’s definitely a great place. I do feel for those, who like me, Who thought there was going to be more of a Disney presence and bought homes because of it. But, if you could look past that, it is still like a throwback to 50s leave it to Beaver living. Something you don’t get many places anymore.
I actually feel fortunate, because I just bought a place in the middle of a main street that still has brick-lined roads and mom and pop shops surrounding it. With festivals and street fairs that feel like throwback to my childhood. I definitely view it as special. Especially when it snows, at night, with the street lights. It feels like the middle of a Christmas movie. The only thing I can think about when I’m experiencing it is, how many people in this day and age get to live like its 60 years prior?
I worked for an old lady in celebration. And while I was driving her she mentioned about these complex apartments that were and look new but it was to be demolished because the infrastructure wasn’t good. The were cracks everywhere. So yeah. But overall, celebration is a charming town. It is nice to walk and get something to eat there.
I use to work 4 a a/c company in 2002. I was in Cel quite a lot. There were multiple problems in construction of houses. Bad drywall, leaks, faulty elec work etc. It took years for all the shoddy work that was done initially to be rectified . Residents there were highly upset to find there dream homes turned into nightmares. I will never forget the anxiety on the faces of homeowners who were highly upset. I wonder if they ever replaced all the defective drywall that was there. Welcome 2 disney!!!!!!
I stayed in celebration three times in 2018. I loved it.
I went there once back in 2015. It looked pretty enough, but I could sense that the town center was starting to decline a bit.
So in your research did you find out what a house in Celebration costs to buy today?
Dan Sulin , according to Zillow, the median home value estimate for Celebration is $353,000 - that’s roughly a third more to double the median for some of the surrounding communities in Osceola County. Keep in mind that’s the median for everything for sale in Celebration right now, from condos to multi-million dollar large luxury homes ( there are a few million+ dollar homes on the market).
@@MrSchnebs Which begs the ultimate question. Why would anyone want to live in Central FL (Osceola County) in the midst of the summer when there's mosquitoes, bugs , roaches and heat and more heat and humidity that will ruin any perfect up do. Its ONLY really nice down there starting about mid-October and through about May. After that and during late Spring all the way into Fall, you still get the daily thunderstorms, 90-100 degree heat and humidity that will wrinkle any shirt and flatten even the best hairdo. YOUR A/C will run 24/7 in the summer and the electric bill will reflect that. If you're a snowbird, then I guess it's fine. Funny thing is, once the Villages , just Northwest of there and south of Ocala FL really got going, many people moved there from Celebration.
@@MrSchnebs I'd love to live in Celebration
Very interesting Rob! Great Video! Have you ever heard about the history of Celebration High?
No good has come from anyone moving to Florida it has devastated the state of Florida in every aspect as well as hurt the entire country very sad .
Had to wait until the premier ended because I was seconds late and it said video is premiering please come back when the video is published. Now I come back and I missed the whole premier and live chat =[
you can actually buy homes in Disney World. they're like 13 million and are only about 5 thousand square feet. for that price, it should be 7-8 thousand square feet. not to mention you get very little backyard and are very close to your neighbors.
I grew up 20 minutes from celebration and kids there were mean and spoiled,, or maybe it’s the fact that I grew up on the poorer side and poorer schools, but I use to work at a restaurant over there and it’s so unsettling how northern and “perfect” the architecture looks
San Angeles from Demolition Man.
Will this be the way of Cotino?
Cotino seems more like Golden Oak than Celebration, the former being just a residential area that's conveniently near the park, not an entire town with the phony image of perfection.
@@ambskater97 more like a Celebration that only Golden Oak residents could afford. Need a place to stay during hurricane season? Come out here to the desert!
The city I grew up in is VERY similar to this concept. Look up Madison, Mississippi on google images.
In the 1980’s, a woman named Mary (mayor Mary as everyone knows her) from Jackson moved to a tiny farming community just south of Jackson and started developing it like crazy. It has the highest property values, strictest building codes, no apartments allowed, and has by far the best schools in Mississippi. (The demographics are unsurprisingly also very not diverse). Every time I go back there’s more unnecessarily ornate buildings or mall.
Growing up there was a trip to say the least.
Anna S lol Madison ms is not like this I went to olemiss and would drive through !
Jaybird I meannnnnn.... it kinda is tho... lmao I was raised there in the late 90’s/early 2000’s and go back every so often and it gets more and more like this every year imo. They have the most expensive Walmart in the world and the most expensive movie theater in the southeast bc of how strict the building codes are and how fancy they have to be. Everything built there has Corinthian columns and a specific color palette. The Wendy’s is made of brick and has iron work on it.
Also have you seen the ridgeland mall? They basically recreated an Italian city plan with giant fountains and street names and everything.
Nothing wrong with nice stuff but it is a very stark contrast to the rest of Mississippi and especially Jackson with the declining state that it’s in now since all the affluent people are in Madison now.
Did anyone think for a second that living in this town wouldn't be exorbitant?
You should read up on the history of Robert Davis, his town of Seaside, Florida, and the growing trend of New Urbanism. Celebration is one of hundreds of communities since the creation of Seaside that has faced these same struggles.
It reminds me of Walt's original idea of Epcot. Thanks for the great content Rob! :)
I've been there as a kid on holiday, knowing nothing aoubt the US, not Celebration, nor speaking english. It was magical and amazing. Though Idk how I'd think about it today. Maybe it's best to just keep the memory alive :)
First mistake: wanting to own a house because of the "Disney" name. I can't stand Disney fanatics.
for me, the quintessential "Disney fan" is some upper-middle-class white wine mom from a bourgie Orlando suburb (though not necessarily Celebration) that has complained to her HOA about black kids riding bikes on her street at least twice
Jersey Jimmy you talk about white people online but ain’t man enough to do it in person.
@@dynamitekid5521 I say this shit to white people all the time🤷🏾♀️
And the HOA was called the Micky House Club
I visit there almost every other weekend, and it’s not as bad as people make it seem. People are nice and normal, there’s a Chick-fil-A near where I visit and a mall. It’s a good place
I was a kid when we first went to WDW in the 90's, and I very distinctly remember watching this news piece on the TV about these pink plastic flamingos that showed up randomly in peoples' yards in Celebration. I thought it was hilarious that it was such a big deal that it ended up on the local morning news. Some prankster would just move this flamingo around the neighborhood, which was apparently against the rules there. I've tried finding that news story but have been unable to do so; if someone stumbles upon it, I'd really appreciate it if you'd pass it on to me!
Ate at the Columbia Restaurant last night. It was good. The neighborhood is too dang close together.
They should have made it a 55+ community, with nice amenities for visiting grandkids.
🤣Orlando/Orange County- come on vacation, leave on probation🙈🙉🙊
Aimee Osmulski Except this isn’t in Orange County. Nonetheless, central Florida is definitely one of those places that was a paradise to live in a few generations ago but is now a hellhole.
@@jgc4818 it was a hell hole when I stayed there 10 years ago. Some of the craziest people ive met in my life!
Ryan Martin lmaoooo we are NOT that bad I mean well I wouldn’t know cuz I’ve been here my whole life but 🤷🏽♀️
@@girlbye7477 Then again, I used to frequent some of the fine establishments on Orange Blossom Trail. Hahah
:( celebration is my favorite place on earth, tbh. i try to visit atleast once a year, just to sit in the rocking chairs in the town centre
Overpriced garbage. for SHEEPLE... What are people thinking... ???
This is the first video I’ve seen of yours. I really enjoyed it, great work and entertaining
I didn't even know they had a town, thanks Rob!
We loved visiting Celebration, the dog food shop and ice cream store were amazing, we are from the Uk but would love to live there one day
My summer camp stayed in Celebration for three weeks, and it was a nice town.
On one of the Disney trips my dad was rushed to celebration hospital. At the time we didn't know celebration was a time and we couldn't get over why they would name a hospital celebration 😭
When I was in 6th grade, we went to Orlando on a family vacation. My parents wanted to mail some postcards, and someone had told them to use the post office in Celebration. When we stopped there, it looked exactly like something out the the Truman show (right down to the movie extras riding golf carts in their plaid shorts). If you're not prepared for it, it's like driving into some weird time warp. Since then, I've been back and it's not as spooky.
You don't hear nothing about the wood floors unless the roof of every house leaked & fucked them up or some other reason fucked them up. The reason I know the wood flooring was awesome, because my uncles and cousin did Celebration
Those houses are huge
I might be talked into moving back to the US for a house in Celebration.
But Disney should have kept ownership, and just leased the residences. I would prefer that. 😎