Lake Buena Vista, Florida

Lake Buena Vista, Florida
City
Hotel Plaza Boulevard
Seal
Location in Orange County and the state of Florida
U.S. Census Map
Coordinates: 28°22′39″N 81°31′34″W / 28.37750°N 81.52611°W / 28.37750; -81.52611
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Orange
Incorporated (City of Reedy Creek)	May 12, 1967[1]
Incorporated (City of Lake Buena Vista)	July 3, 1969
Named for	South Buena Vista Street, the street in Burbank, California where the Disney Studio Lot is located.
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
• Mayor	Renee Raper
• Mayor Pro Tem	Andrea Fay
• Council Members	Charlie Reed, Angie Sola, and William "Tom" McCoy
• City Manager	Randy Singh
• City Clerk	Amy T. Iennaco
Area [2]
• Total	3.14 sq mi (8.13 km2)
• Land	3.03 sq mi (7.84 km2)
• Water	0.11 sq mi (0.29 km2)
Elevation [3]	98 ft (30 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	24
• Density	7.93/sq mi (3.06/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	32830
Area code(s)	407, 689
FIPS code	12-37625[4]
GNIS feature ID	2404857[3]
Website	cityoflakebuenavistafl.gov

Lake Buena Vista (/ˌbwɛnəˈvɪstə/ or /ˌbweɪnəˈvɪstə/) is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. It is mostly known for being the mailing address for Walt Disney World, although almost all of the resort facilities, including all four theme parks, are physically located in the adjacent city of Bay Lake. It is one of two Florida municipalities inside the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which also contains Walt Disney World, the other being Bay Lake. The permanent residential population of Lake Buena Vista was 24 at the 2020 census.^[5]

The city is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area, more commonly known as Greater Orlando or the Orlando metropolitan area.

Chapter 67-1965 of the Laws of Florida, incorporating the City of Reedy Creek, was signed into law by Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. on May 12, 1967, the same day he also signed chapters 67-764 (creating the Reedy Creek Improvement District), also known as the Reedy Creek Improvement Act, and 67-1104 (incorporating the city of Bay Lake). It was located fully inside the Reedy Creek Improvement District. The city was controlled by Walt Disney Productions and allowed it powers that other area attractions had not had.

Chapter 69-1527, which became law on July 3, 1969, without the governor's approval, redefined the city boundaries. The city was completely moved, taking over some land that had been part of the City of Bay Lake (and was given up by Chapter 69-836, which became a law the same day) and including some other land that had formerly been unincorporated. Soon after, the City of Reedy Creek was renamed to the City of Lake Buena Vista to better reflect its new location, through which Reedy Creek did not flow. "Buena Vista" comes from the name of the street in Burbank, California, where The Walt Disney Company is headquartered.

The Reedy Creek Improvement District had all the powers of the city and more, raising the question of why cities needed to be incorporated inside it. Walt Disney's original plans for the site included at least one futuristic living area, a planned "community of the future". This was never built, but some of the ideas were incorporated into the EPCOT theme park and later Celebration, Florida. The only residents of the city are Disney employees and their immediate family members who live in a small community on Royal Oak Court, north of Disney Springs. From 1971 to 2022, the only landowners are fully owned subsidiaries of Disney, and rights-of-way for state and county roads.

On February 27, 2023, the Florida Legislature passed House Bill 9B to supersede the Reedy Creek Improvement Act, replacing the Reedy Creek Improvement District with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.

The approximate coordinates for the City of Lake Buena Vista is located at 28°22′39″N 81°31′18″W / 28.37750°N 81.52167°W / 28.37750; -81.52167 (28.377362, –81.521728).^[6]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8.0 km²), of which 3.0 square miles (7.7 km²) is land and 0.12 square miles (0.3 km²) (4.02%) is water.^[7]

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the City of Lake Buena Vista has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).

Lake Buena Vista is a small body of water located east of the Buena Vista Golf Course, west of the crossing of State Road 535 and Interstate 4. The lake, which was called "Blake Lake" before its acquisition by Disney, was named for Buena Vista Street in Burbank, California, where Disney's corporate headquarters are located. Several Walt Disney Company business entities had names containing "Buena Vista", a Spanish phrase that means "good view".

In 2015, guide maps for the Disney Springs shopping, dining, and entertainment district started promoting Village Lake, which the district and Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa borders, as "Lake Buena Vista".^[9] The actual lake and the promoted lake are connected via a stream, which is crossed by a bridge linking Disney Springs' Marketplace area with Saratoga Springs Resort.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 24 people, 3 households, and 2 families residing in the city.^[12]

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 10 people, 3 households, and 3 families residing in the city.^[13]

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 16 people, 9 households, and 5 families residing in the city. The population density was 3.3 inhabitants per square mile (1.3/km²). There were 11 housing units at an average density of 2.3 per square mile (0.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 100.00% White.

In 2000, there are 9 households out of which 11.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 0.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.4% were non-families. 44.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.78 and the average family size was 2.40.

In 2000, in the city, the population was spread out with 12.5% under the age of 18, 0.0% from 18 to 24, 18.8% from 25 to 44, 37.5% from 45 to 64, and 31.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53 years. For every 100 females there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $39,375, and the median income for a family was $62,500. Males had a median income of $60,000 versus $38,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,769. 0.0% of the population and 0.0% of families were below the poverty line.

• Walt Disney World Resort
  • Typhoon Lagoon
  • Disney Springs
  • Lake Buena Vista Golf Course
  • Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs Resort Hotel
  • Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs Resort Area Hotel

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District has its Fire Department Emergency Services station in Bay Lake, near Lake Buena Vista.^[14][15]

Lake Buena Vista is within Orange County Public Schools.^[16]

The only subdivision within Lake Buena Vista (Royal Oak Court) falls within the attendance zones of Sand Lake Elementary School,^[17] Southwest Middle School,^[18] and Dr. Phillips High School.^[19]

• Bay Lake, Florida
• Central Florida Tourism Oversight District

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Lake Buena Vista.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

• Official Website for the City of Lake Buena Vista
• Information at Central Florida Tourism Oversight District website