|
WELCOME
to
CELEBRATION, FLORIDA
Winner of American Dream Town 2007
Celebration is
best described as a place where memories of
a lifetime are made, it's more than a home;
it's a community rich with old-fashioned
appeal and an eye on the future. Homes are a
blend of traditional southeastern exteriors
with welcoming front porches and interiors
that enhance today's lifestyles.
Community parks offer playgrounds, benches,
and places to gather. Miles of walking paths
and bicycle paths. A vibrant downtown area
where friends and neighbors meet. A
signature golf course, plus tennis courts
and community swimming pools. A health
center focused on wellness. Overall, the
look and feel of a warm and friendly
hometown.
Disney wanted
to take the best ideas from the most
successful towns of yesterday and today and
adapt them for a community of the future
that includes a Kindergarten through 12th
grade Magnet Public School.
Imagine a place
where you can live, work, play, shop, study,
& worship... without leaving your
neighborhood. A place where you feel safe &
secure. A place that is absolutely beautiful
to behold. A place that your soul has been
searching for. That place is Celebration,
Florida.
Celebration was founded in 1995 with five
cornerstones in mind. These cornerstones are
community, education, health, technology, &
a sense of place. Each of these are evident
as you make your way through this special
town.
The homes in Celebration are a mix of
traditional, coastal, classical, &
Mediterranean...all with pre-1940's
architectural designs. The town offers
terrace homes (condominiums), villas, town
homes, bungalows, garden homes, cottage
homes, village homes, manor homes, & estate
homes as well as apartments. Most garages
are placed behind the home accessible by an
alleyway. The prices range from $246,000
(for a condo) to $2.4+ million (for an
estate home)*. There is still the
opportunity to build a new home in
Celebration, but the town should be built
out in 2006.
A signature golf course, tennis
courts, acres of parks, ponds, and open
spaces are also characteristics of this
community. Homes with front porches,
community parks, a vibrant downtown where
you'll see friends and neighbors. A business
district with architectural distinction.
Miles of nature trails and bike trails, a
community pool, a state of the art fitness
center and hospital. Then we would connect
the whole town to each other via computer
and even to all the shops, businesses, and
schools.
A beautiful family
town with restaurants, an AMC theater,
Farmers Market, many shops, and its own
Gooding's Grocery store, post office, bank,
and town hall. A safe town you can let your
children roam through without worry. The
closest thing to Heaven on Earth.
Celebration is a peaceful town located just
minutes from shopping malls, Orlando
International Airport, and lots of theme
parks.
Apartment rental rates range from $850 -
$2,400; town homes, ranging from $220,000
and up; garden homes, ranging from $189,000
and up; cottage homes, ranging from $225,000
and up; village homes, ranging from $399,000
and up; estates, ranging from $550,000 and
up; and terrace homes (condo's) start at
$149,000 and up. Some cottage, village, and
estate homes have garage apts., called
Granny Flats that rent for $600.00 - $850.00
per month and may be rented for income
purposes. Furnished condos are for rent from
$2,500 - $2,800 per month.
We looked at
what made communities great in our past,
added what we've learned from the best
practices today, and combined that with a
vision and hope for strong communities in
the future, said Michael Eisner, Disney's
chair and CEO. We believe the result will
be a very special community. Master plans
for the 4,900-acre property, which is
located in Osceola County, were created by
world-renowned outfits including Robert A.M.
Stern Architects and Cooper, Robertson &
Partners.
So Far Celebration has a population of 2,000
in 718 residences. Homes are designed in six
architectural styles varying from Victorian,
Classical, Colonial Revival, Coastal,
Mediterranean and French. Oversized porches
and verandas that encourage old-time
neighborhood socializing are a welcome
feature. The whole shebang is surrounded by
a 4,700-acre protected greenbelt with miles
of walking paths.
A par 72 public golf course designed by
Robert Trent, Jr. is enhanced by a new
clubhouse and a 3-hole youth practice range.
Downtown Celebration's business district
is a lively mix of retail shops,
restaurants, offices and apartments, town
hall, post office, grocery store, and
cinema. Many of these buildings situated
along a wide promenade circling the lake in
the center of town. Boat rentals, a park and
a pedestrian mall are at hand.
Escape to the Old-Florida charm found in the enchanting
town of Celebration, Florida. Celebration is
the perfect place for a beadwork retreat
that provides inspiration, excitement and
community.
Celebration
Hotel is an upscale boutique hotel situated
in the center of the town of Celebration and
provides a peaceful oasis within the
excitement of Orlando. Everything you desire
is here - luxurious accommodations,
picturesque views along the lakefront,
lovely meals and bead workshops to satisfy
the bead worker in you. And for travelers
arriving by plane its easy to arrive into
The Town of Celebration from the Orlando
International Airport which is 20 minutes
from The Celebration Hotel. Take a shuttle
from the airport over to the hotel and enjoy
the Town of Celebration.
The Town Center at
Celebration consists of 94,119
square feet distributed throughout
nine single-tenant and multi-tenant
Class A office buildings. The three
largest buildings are 610 Sycamore,
741 Front Street and the Preview
Center.
Town Center at Celebration contains
a 65,744 square specialty retail
center with 24 condos located
throughout the Market Street area.
The retail is concentrated along
Market, Front and Bloom Streets. The
pedestrian-oriented retail center
offers upscale shopping, restaurants
and a movie theater as well as café
that allow patrons to sit outside
and enjoy the lake and town view.
Town Center at Celebration features
105 premier condos
units ranging from efficient 640
square foot one bedroom/one bathroom
units to luxurious 1,500 square foot
two bedroom, two bathroom units with
9 foot ceilings. The condos are
located in the heart of the Town
Center and enjoy easy access to all
of the community's amenities.
Join us for this dazzling beadwork event
that will cater to all your needs and
provide you with a wonderful opportunity to
enjoy the gorgeous designs and teaching
talents of Carol Wilcox Wells in addition to
an optional bonus workshop by Melanie Potter
The sense of community & place come from the
many parks, walking paths, community pools,
the Robert Trent, Jr. golf course, and the
downtown area. All places where families
meet to celebrate life.
From the state of the art hospital to
corporate office space...from the innovative
public school to Stetson University... from
the town's own intranet service to it's own
television channel... Celebration is truly a
town for the new millennium.
Just a short drive from Orlando
International Airport, Disney World &
Universal, Cape Canaveral, & Cocoa Beach.
Celebration offers location, location,
location.
This article is licensed under the
GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the
Wikipedia article "Celebration, Florida".
Celebration, Florida
is a
census-designated place
and an unincorporated
master-planned community
in
Osceola County in the
U.S. state of
Florida, near
Walt Disney World Resort.
It was developed by
The Walt Disney Company.
Celebration is connected
directly to the Walt Disney
World parks and resorts by
World Drive; the north end
of World Drive begins near
the Magic Kingdom and its
south end connects to
Celebration Boulevard,
allowing Celebration
residents and guests to
drive to Disney property
without having to use any
busy thoroughfares. With the
rising population, Disney
has divested most of its
control over Celebration in
the years since it founded
the town, although several
Disney business units occupy
many of the town's office
buildings.
Recently, some residents
have
petitioned that the town
incorporate; a ballot
measure could go before
voters in 2007.
Celebration was founded in
1994 on Disney-owned land
that had previously been
undeveloped (and used for
relocating alligators which
had been caught near Disney
guest areas). Celebration
was de- annexed
from the
Reedy Creek Improvement
District.
Coincidentally, the original
1967 borders of the
City of Reedy Creek
covered much of the land
that is now Celebration,
before the borders of Reedy
Creek were moved northeast
in 1969 and the town was
shortly thereafter renamed
to the
City of Lake Buena Vista.
At that time, this city
(along with the
City of Bay Lake)
covered only portions of the
Reedy Creek Improvement
District, presumably the
portions that were being
considered for communities.
It is sometimes claimed that
Celebration was intended to
fulfill
Walt Disney's original
vision for
EPCOT as an experimental
location where people could
live, but the Celebration
Company has never stated
this as a motivation.
The philosophy behind the
town is that it is to be a
friendly, neighborly place,
drawing its design and its
sensibility from such places
as
Savannah, Georgia;
Nantucket, Massachusetts;
and
Charleston, South Carolina.
The master plan was
developed by
Robert A. M. Stern
Architects and Cooper
Robertson & Partners, both
of
New York City. Instead
of using Disney's vision for
EPCOT which was based on
modernism and
futurism, the town uses
the concept of " New
Urbanism" to emphasize
parks, sidewalks, and a mix
of residential and
commercial space. The bank,
the post office, the town
hall, the movie theater, and
other downtown buildings
were designed by renowned
architects. The majority of
homes are within one mile of
the downtown area.
Segway scooters and
small electric cars called "NEVs"
("Neighborhood Electric
Vehicle") are common.
Community events are held
downtown throughout the
year; for example, during
the Christmas season it
"snows" on Market Street
(bubbly foam blown from
machines on the lampposts).
The first church to inhabit
Celebration was a
Presbyterian Christian
church. There are currently
7 different denominations
including a Jewish
congregation. There is also
a hospital (Celebration
Health) and a fire station
in Celebration. An
eighteen-hole golf course
winds through the town.
Celebration is not a
gated community; because
gates are not part of a new
urbanist vision, and the
downtown area depends on
revenue from tourists.
As in most new
golf-course subdivisions in
Florida, Celebration
residents are governed by a
homeowners' association
which uses "covenants"
to protect the 'feel' of the
community: residents must
keep lawns mowed, are not
allowed to park boats or RVs
in streets or drives, and
must keep the street
appearance of the house
(everything including "for
sale" signs, house numbers,
lawn furniture like
birdbaths, and exterior
paint colors) within
prescribed bounds.
As a result of its
neotraditional
design and its rules,
Celebration tends to
evoke strong reactions
in people: some fall in
love with the
architecture, saying
they prefer its
neotraditional looks to
standard, modern " cookie
cutter" style
subdivisions; others
cynically compare it to
an artificial movie set
with oppressive rules.
Some compare
Celebration's appearance
to that of the town of
Seaside, Florida
(which was used in the
filming of the movie
The Truman Show).
Other visitors find such
comparisons to be blown
out of proportion,
viewing its appearance
and
homeowners' association
rules as typical of
those of numerous
subdivisions in other
parts of the United
States that have
generated much less
negative attention,
including several
similar
New Urban
communities such as
Harbor Town. In
1995, all that
existed of the town were
a few roads under
construction and one
trailer with the facade
of a stately home to
advertise future plans.
A lottery was held for
the opportunity to buy a
home in this new "Disney
town," and all 351 home
lots in the town's first
development were quickly
sold through the
lottery, leaving a
six-month waiting list.
But the builders were
unprepared for the
demand and therefore the
quality of the initial
construction was
sometimes sub-par,
helping to earn
Celebration ridicule in
the press. Another point
of contention was the
Celebration School
(K-12), which attempted
to incorporate many
progressive ideas in
ways that turned out to
be more confusing than
successful. People
purchasing homes there
early on had the general
impression that Disney's
connection to the
project meant that
nothing could go wrong,
but that misconception
was short-lived.
Residents first moved
into homes in
Celebration on
June 18,
1996. Through the
first years of the town,
many townspeople
persevered and banded
together even more
tightly as a community
to make sure that the
town lived up to its
commitments and its
promise. As a result the
town of Celebration,
Florida, can be said to
have fulfilled most of
its original intentions.
One peculiarity of
the town early on was
that it was run by
The Celebration Company,
a fully owned subsidiary
of the Disney Company,
rather than by elected
officials. The result of
this has been that some
decisions made on behalf
of the residents of the
community were made with
Disney's profits in mind
rather than the
townspeople’s desires –
for example, the
downtown area contains
several shops selling
collectibles, but no gas
station or video rental
store. This problem is
going away as residents
have gained elected
positions on the board
of the Celebration
Residential Owners'
Association, and as
Disney diminishes its
role in the town. Disney
recently sold the
downtown area to Lexin
Capital, a private real
estate investment firm.
Recently, a another
commercial development
outside of downtown,
Water Tower Place was
built with
Chick-fil-A,
Mobil, dry cleaners,
a video rental store,
and the West Osceola
Branch of the
Osceola library system
among its tenants.
Celebration residents
do not receive free
passes, discounts, or
any sort of preferential
treatment at Disney
theme parks or resorts.
In fact, Disney
employees receive dining
and shopping discounts
throughout the area
including downtown
Celebration (due to
arrangements with
businesses which want to
attract business from
the large number of
Disney employees), while
Celebration residents do
not.
There are eight developments in Celebration:
North Village, South Village, East Village,
West Village, Celebration Village, Lake
Evalyn, Roseville Corner, and Artisan Park.
Homes are built in various pre-approved
styles including Victorian, Mediterranean,
French, Coastal, and Colonial Revival, and
there are seven general 'sizes' of homes
ranging from cozy Bungalows to huge Estates.
The styles and sizes of homes are mixed
through the town; there are streets of large
homes right next to streets of small homes.
Most homes have alleys behind them to hide
driveways and trashcans. Most homes have
front porches, and all homes are fairly
close to the street and to their neighbors
to encourage a closer sense of community.
Celebration homes do not have large yards.
Pricing for homes new begins around $390,000
for non resale condominiums up to
$700,000-$1,000,000 for houses, estates run
in the millions. Apartments typically rent
for $900/month and up or roughly a dollar
per square foot, and several apartments are
available above the downtown businesses and
garages (garage apartments).
As of the
censusGR2
of 2000, there were
2,736 people, 952
households, and 716
families residing in the
community. The
population density
was 99.0/km²
(256.4/mi²). There were
1,093 housing units at
an average density of
39.6/km² (102.4/mi²).
The racial makeup of the
census-designated place
(CDP) is 93.57%
White, 1.72%
Black or
African American,
0.26%
Native American,
2.41%
Asian, 1.02% from
other races, and
1.02% from two or more
races. 7.60% of the
population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 952
households out of which
45.1% had children under
the age of 18 living
with them, 66.5% were
married couples
living together, 6.3%
had a female householder
with no husband present,
and 24.7% were
non-families. 20.2% of
all households were made
up of individuals and
3.6% had someone living
alone who was 65 years
of age or older. The
average household size
was 2.82 and the average
family size was 3.30.
In the community the
population was spread
out with 30.8% under the
age of 18, 5.1% from 18
to 24, 30.8% from 25 to
44, 26.4% from 45 to 64,
and 6.9% who were 65
years of age or older.
The median age was 37
years. For every 100
females there were 94.7
males. For every 100
females age 18 and over,
there were 93.5 males.
The median income for
a household in the
community was $74,231,
and the median income
for a family was
$92,334. Males had a
median income of $51,250
versus $46,650 for
females. The
per capita income
for the CDP was $39,521.
6.2% of the population
and 4.3% of families
were below the
poverty line. 8.5%
are under the age of 18.
As of
2004, there are
9,500 residents in 3,745
households (including
apartments).
The band
Chumbawamba included
a song called
"Celebration, Florida"
on their album
WYSIWYG. It
satirises the
(perceived) excesses of
American consumerism and
"nostalgia for a time
they can't remember"
which the town
supposedly embodies. The
character Brian in the
broadway musical
Avenue Q, makes a
wry reference to the
city before the song
“Special” is performed
at The Around the Clock
by a curvaceous puppet.
Also, an animated
cartoon episode of
The Simpsons about
the “Globex Corporation”
portrays a similar town
which appears to be like
Celebration, Florida.
Contrary to its design
as a quintessential
American town,
Celebration does not
have any road named
Main Street, because
that name is already
used elsewhere in
Osceola County. The two
main roads going through
the center of the
downtown area are named
Market Street and Front
Street. Some streets
include:
An avenue parallel to
I-4 that includes
many commercial
businesses and the
Celebration High School.
The architecture on the
street is the
Celebration Modern
style. The entire street
is lines with two rows
of
Washington Palms.
An area with a Plinth
area that includes
commercial buildings
with a Campo Santo
image, and a landmark
section, an area that
stands by itself on the
edge of a natural
conservation area with
its own identity. The
Plinth area has three
sections:
- Plinth Section
- Building Section
- Parking Section
Each section has
defined design elements
This article is licensed under the
GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the
Wikipedia article "Celebration, Florida".
Community Location:
Celebration is located 10 minutes
from Walt Disney World, 15 minutes from
Universal Studios and 20 minutes from
Orlando International Airport. Easy access
to Interstate 4 and 417 Greenway to the
Airport, Beaches and Kennedy Space Center
(one hour drive).
28° 19′ 12.21″ N
81° 32′ 24.54″ W
 Population:
8,000 residents
2,500 homes sold
1,000 apartments built
$300,000 = estimated 6-year average home
sale
1.1 million square feet of commercial office
space
16 Town Center shops
6 Town Center restaurants
First
Residents = Summer 1996
Town Center = November 1996
Celebration K-12 Public School = August 1997
Celebration Health = November 1997
Celebration Hotel = November 1999
Stetson University Center = August 2001
Celebration High School = August 2003
 Architecture:
Master plan architects are Cooper, Robertson
& Partners and Robert A.M. Stern Architects.
Internationally known architects designed
buildings in Celebration's Town Center to
create a variety of styles, including:
Preview Center - Moore/Anderson Architects,
Inc.
(currently occupied by Bank of America)
Celebration Bank - Venturi, Scott Brown &
Associates (currently occupied by SunTrust
Bank)
Town Hall - Phillip Johnson, Ritchie & Fiore,
Architects
Post Office - Michael Graves & Associates
Cinema - Cesar Pelli & Associates
Retail, Office & Apartments - Robert A.M. Stern
Architects and Cooper Robertson & Partners
Hotel - Graham Gund Architects
Stetson University Center - Deamer + Phillips
Health:
Florida Hospital's Celebration Health,
designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, is
located on a 60-acre site in Celebration
Place. This nationally acclaimed,
community-integrated system focuses on
generating good health. Services include:
Comprehensive healthcare
Advanced diagnostics
60,000 sf fitness/wellness center
Acute-care 60-bed hospital and emergency
department
FACTS ABOUT CELEBRATION
Opening of Phase One:
July 4th, 1996
Size:
4,900 acres, surrounded by a protected greenbelt
of 4,700 acres.Population:
20,000 people in 8,000 housing units.
Government:
Unincorporated town within Osceola County.
Two Community Development Districts will provide
funding for the infrastructure of Celebration.
Two community associations will manage the neighborhoods.
The Walt Disney Company will own the downtown, golf course and office park.
Home buyers will own their homes and land.
Amenities:
18 hole public golf course
Public school
Offices
Health facility
Theatres
Walking paths
Nature trails
Village parks
Downtown lake
Total Investment:
$2.5 Billion
Housing:
Types of Housing in Celebration
There are 7 types of homes in
Celebration, in a total of 6 different
styles. They are...
Apartment Homes, available in a
1-bedroom/1-bath plan, or a
3-bedroom/2.5-bathroom plan.
Bungalow Homes, available in the
Classical,
French, and
Mediterranean styles.
Garden Homes, available in the
Colonial Revival,
Victorian,
Classical and
Coastal styles.
Cottage Homes, available in the
Colonial Revival,
Victorian,
Classical and
Coastal styles.
Townhomes, multi-family attached
homes designed to resemble the single
homes found in Charleston, South
Carolina.
Village Homes, available in the
Colonial Revival,
Victorian,
Classical,
Coastal and
French styles.
Estate Homes, available in the
Colonial Revival,
Victorian,
Classical,
Coastal,
French, and
Mediterranean styles.
Unlike most planned communities,
where different uses and housing types a
developed in separate zones,
Celebration will blend townhouses,
apartments and Estate Homes in the same
neighborhoods. Plans call for a pre-40's
type of town...classical architecture,
garages behind the houses and everything
within walking distance.
Restrictive covenants will dictate
what homeowners can and cannot do in
Celebration. The covenants will not be
released until homes go on sale on
November 18, 1995. Included in the
covenants are six approved design
styles for homes in Celebration....
Classical
Victorian
Colonial Revival
Coastal
Mediterranean
French
County:
Osceola
Land area: 10.7 square miles
Zip code:
34747
Median resident age: 36.9
years
Median household income: $74,231 (year 2000)
Median house value: $380,900 (year 2000)
New: Celebration, FL residents, houses, and
apartments details
More
Information About Celebration
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Races in Celebration:
- White Non-Hispanic (87.3%)
- Hispanic (7.6%)
- Black (1.7%)
- Other race (1.0%)
- Two or more races (1.0%)
- Asian Indian (0.8%)
- Chinese (0.6%)
(Total can be greater than
100% because Hispanics could be counted
in other races)
For
population 25 years and over in
Celebration
High school or higher: 93.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 57.4%
Graduate or professional degree: 21.7%
Unemployed: 2.6%
Mean travel time to work: 19.9 minutes
For population 15 years and over in
Celebration CDP
Never married: 22.2%
Now married: 66.0%
Separated: 1.6%
Widowed: 5.8%
Divorced: 4.4%
7.9% Foreign born (4.0% Europe, 2.5%
Latin America).
Ancestries: Irish (16.9%),
German (14.7%), Italian (11.6%), English
(11.4%),
United States (8.3%), Scotch-Irish
(4.6%).
Nearest city with pop. 50,000+: Orlando,
FL (18.6 miles, pop. 185,951).
Nearest city with pop. 200,000+: Tampa,
FL (68.0 miles, pop. 303,447).
Nearest city with pop. 1,000,000+:
Philadelphia, PA (919.4 miles, pop.
1,517,550).
Nearest cities: Loughman, FL (5.5
miles), Citrus Ridge, FL (7.1 miles),
Campbell, FL (7.4 miles), Hunters Creek,
FL (8.1 miles), Kissimmee, FL (8.8
miles), Williamsburg, FL (9.0 miles),
Bay Hill, FL (9.6 miles), Doctor
Phillips, FL (9.9 miles).
Area codes: 321, 407
Industries providing employment: Arts,
entertainment, recreation, accommodation
and food services (25.5%), Educational,
health and social services (18.3%),
Finance, insurance, real estate, and
rental and leasing (14.7%),
Professional, scientific, management,
administrative, and waste management
services (10.3%).
Celebration
K-8 school Students = 1,258
|
Celebration School |
Grades: PK-8
Type: public
Enrollment: 1258
510 Campus Street
Celebration, FL 34747
Osceola County
Phone: (407) 566-2300
Fax: (407) 566-2354
Osceola County School
District |
Celebration High
School Students = 1,768
Hospitals/medical centers
near Celebration:
- HEART OF FLORIDA
REGIONAL MED CENTER (about
10 miles; DAVENPORT, FL)
- HEALTH CENTRAL (about 18
miles; OCOEE, FL)
- ORLANDO REGIONAL MEDICAL
CENTER (about 19 miles;
ORLANDO, FL)
Airports certified for
carrier operations nearest to
Celebration::
ORLANDO INTL(about 18
miles ORLANDO, FL; ID: MCO)
ORLANDO SANFORD (about
38 miles; ORLANDO, FL; ID:
SFB)
LAKELAND LINDER RGNL
(about 41 miles; LAKELAND,
FL; ID: LAL)
Other public-use airports
nearest to Celebration::
- KISSIMMEE GATEWAY (about
8 miles; ORLANDO, FL; ID:
ISM)
- EXECUTIVE (about 22
miles; ORLANDO, FL; ID: ORL)
- WINTER HAVEN'S GILBERT
(about 24 miles; WINTER
HAVEN, FL; ID: GIF)
Colleges/universities with
over 2000 students nearest to
Celebration:
- VALENCIA COMMUNITY
COLLEGE (about 20 miles;
ORLANDO, FL; Full-time
enrollment: 15,792)
- POLK COMMUNITY COLLEGE
(about 23 miles; WINTER
HAVEN, FL; FT enrollment:
3,028)
- ROLLINS COLLEGE (about
23 miles; WINTER PARK, FL;
FT enrollment: 2,899)
- UNIVERSITY OF
PHOENIX-ORLANDO CAMPUS
(about 25 miles; MAITLAND,
FL; FT enrollment: 3,992)
- UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL
FLORIDA (about 26 miles;
ORLANDO, FL; FT enrollment:
26,717)
- TRAVIS TECHNICAL CENTER
(about 36 miles; LAKELAND,
FL; FT enrollment: 2,057)
- SEMINOLE COMMUNITY
COLLEGE (about 36 miles;
SANFORD, FL; FT enrollment:
5,261)
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