Kissimmee v Orlando

[pwdebbie]

When I went to WDW as a teen, shortly after it opened, it seemed to me that Kissimmee was the town assosicated with WDW, not Orlando. We went by train and I am sure the train pulled into a little station in Kissimmee. How is it that Orlando became "the place where WDW is" instead of Kissimmee? Or do I just recall incorrectly?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Almost all of WDW is in Orange County. Only WWoS and the All-Stars Resorts are in Osceola County.

No part of WDW is within the city limits of Orlando or within the city limits of Kissimmee.

The major airport is within the city limits of Orlando. The closest train station is the one in Kissimmee.

 

[skiingfast]

Probably has to do with Kissammee being nothing but hotels that catered to WDW guests. Now that so many guests stay onsite they could care less about the bedroom town of Kissammee and as noted above they flew into MCO, the Orlando airport.

 

[nytimez]

When I went to WDW as a teen, shortly after it opened, it seemed to me that Kissimmee was the town assosicated with WDW, not Orlando. We went by train and I am sure the train pulled into a little station in Kissimmee. How is it that Orlando became "the place where WDW is" instead of Kissimmee? Or do I just recall incorrectly?

I believe in the 70s/80s Kissimmee had some major ad campaigns promoting it as the place to stay for Disney vacations because it's so close to the parks. If you live in a market that got those ads, you might associate WDW with Kissimmee... but it's just a marketing thing.

And, as Chesire Figment notes, the closest train station is Kissimmee -- so it would make sense for you to pull in there if you arrived via train.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

Animal Kingdom is nearly all in Osceola County.

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Animal Kingdom is nearly all in Osceola County.

No part of Disney's Animal Kingdom is in Osceola County. It's completely in the city limits of Bay Lake, Florida, a city within Orange County. (All 4 theme parks are in Bay Lake, Florida.)

BobK/Orlando

 

[nytimez]

No part of Disney's Animal Kingdom is in Osceola County. It's completely in the city limits of Bay Lake, Florida, a city within Orange County. (All 4 theme parks are in Bay Lake, Florida.)

BobK/Orlando

I don't think that's true -- there are slight differences in prices in AK and I've been told more than once it's because it's in Osceola County, which has a different tax rate. I could have been told wrong, but...

 

[OrlandoMike]

No part of Disney's Animal Kingdom is in Osceola County. It's completely in the city limits of Bay Lake, Florida, a city within Orange County. (All 4 theme parks are in Bay Lake, Florida.)

BobK/Orlando

Animal Kingdom, Parts of Blizzard Beach and the All Star Resort are all in Osceola county...

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Animal Kingdom, Parts of Blizzard Beach and the All Star Resort are all in Osceola county...

This is not correct.

Looking at a detailed map it shows that Osceola Parkway actually enters Orange County West of the Gate and East of Victory Way and remains North of the County Line all the way until it ends at AKL. This is also seen in Google Earth.

There is no part of Disney West of AKL that is in Osceola County, so all of AK is completely in Orange County.

Likewise Blizzard Beach is between Osceola Parkway and Buena Vista Drive and so it is entirely within Orange County.

WWOS and the All-Star Resorts are all completely in Osceola County. The only portion of All-Stars that is in Orange County is part of the Service Support Building, which is North of all the actual room buildings.