3. Their residence requirements

No one, including the residents themselves, appears to know exactly how people are selected to live in one of the cities. Residents are employees or retirees of Walt Disney World or RCID and their families, but of the thousands of people who meet these requirements, only a handful are selected to make the move. Once in, they tend to stay for years, even a lifetime. Moving back appears to be an option for those who move away, although it is not clear exactly how the process works.

4. Their influence on Walt Disney World operations

Despite their tiny size, the cities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista faithfully perform their political duties. Each city has a mayor and a city council, chosen in open elections. Their numbers may be small, but the decisions made by the cities’ residents have a very real and powerful influence on Walt Disney World operations both large and small.

At monthly city council meetings, they vote on everything from alcohol sales at theme park special events to law enforcement contracts with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office to transportation bonds for Downtown Disney. Like anywhere else, some votes are open only to council members, while others are open to all registered voters in the city. In the Sentinel article referenced above, residents insist that they do not just push through whatever measures Disney proposes, but take care to become informed about the issues and vote in the ways that they find best.

5. They’re not Celebration

Carefully master planned down to the tiniest detail, Celebration was Disney’s first attempt to build a version of Walt’s dream for a utopian city. Built in 1994, it incorporated elements of Walt’s futuristic dreams including a next-generation hospital and early fiber optic technology. But the overall look and feel was that of an idyllic small town, a sort of Main Street USA brought to life.

Although the initial lottery brought more than 4,000 applications for just 500 available homes, Celebration proved that without Walt, running a city was simply not the best choice for Disney. The company sold most of its stake to a property management company in 2004. Since then, the town has been rocked by foreclosures, several violent crimes, and an increasing public suspicion of master planned communities, though it still has its fair share of supporters.

While Celebration copes with the realities of the 21st century, Walt Disney World’s original company towns go on as they always have—tiny rural oases in the middle of one of the most visited destinations on Earth, where everyone still knows everyone in town. The lifestyle might not be for everyone, but there is something to be said for living somewhere that is effectively frozen in time.

What do you think? Would you want to live in one of Disney’s company towns? Why or why not? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!