The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District is in charge of the Walt Disney World Resort, sometimes known as Disney World, Walt Disney World, or just WDW, which is a network of amusement parks located near Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, in the United States. The resort is closest to the Greater Orlando cities of Kissimmee and Winter Garden and is situated in Orange and Osceola counties. The resort, which opened on October 1, 1971, is run by Disney Experiences, a branch of The Walt Disney Company. Of the almost 25,000 acres (39 sq mi; 101 km2) that make up the land, half are under development.[5] Four distinct theme parks, two water parks, two mini-golf courses, and four golf courses are all located within Walt Disney World. On the grounds, there are twenty-one resorts run by Disney.
Walt Disney built the complex in the 1960s as an addition to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, which had opened in 1955. Walt intended to construct a new park because the surrounding businesses prevented Disneyland in California from growing. As it was known, "The Florida Project" was supposed to offer a unique vision with a variety of attractions all its own. An "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow" (EPCOT), a planned community meant to act as a testbed for novel ideas in city life, was also supposed to be included in Walt Disney's original blueprints. On December 15, 1966, while the complex was still being planned, Walt Disney passed away. Following his passing, the business debated whether to bring the Disney
Additionally, Walt Disney World is protected by an FAA prohibited airspace zone, which prohibits the use of drones and all other airspace activities without permission from the US federal government. This level of protection is normally reserved for US critical infrastructure (e.g., the Pantex nuclear weapons plant), military bases, the Special Flight Rules Area in Washington, D.C., Camp David, and other official presidential travel. 
With an average of over 58 million visitors a year, Walt Disney World was the most popular resort worldwide in 2018.[7] The resort has grown to be the biggest employment in the country for a single location,[4] the main hub of Disney's global business, and a well-known fixture in American society.
Walt Disney Productions started searching for property in 1959 in order to build a second resort to complement Disneyland, which had opened in 1955, near Anaheim, California. At the time, market surveys showed that only 5 percent of Disneyland's guests originated from areas east of the Mississippi River, home to 75% of the country's population. Furthermore, Walt Disney desired more control over a wider land area in the next project since he disapproved of the companies that had cropped up around Disneyland.[9] 
In November 1963, Walt Disney flew over one of several possible sites in Orlando, Florida. Upon observing the advanced road system and considering the intended building of Florida's Turnpike and Interstate 4, along with McCoy Air Force Base (later Orlando International )
In April 1964, real estate agents in sections of southwest Orange and northwest Osceola counties started making bids to landowners while operating under tight confidentiality. They were unaware of the name of their client. The agents managed to arrange multiple land contracts with certain landowners, including enormous swaths of property for as low as $100 per acre, while being cautious not to disclose the full scope of their ambitions.[13] Disney postponed filing documents until a significant amount of the land was under contract because they knew that recording the first deeds would bring about tremendous public attention.[14] 
Early rumours and conjecture on the land purchases suggested that NASA may develop the area to help the Kennedy Space Centre, which is nearby. They also mentioned other well-known investors.