Living in Walt's shadow

Image: HarshLight, Flickr (license)

You might ask, where does Walt Disney World's Golden Oak get its name? Well, the story of Golden Oak starts with a young Walt Disney sitting beneath a large tree from his youth in Missouri.

He would daydream under the tree and let his imagination shape some of the characters you know today. You can even see his life mirrored in the neighborhoods of Golden Oak, as each progressive neighborhood represents Walt’s life, from childhood well into his golden years. After some of Walt's later successes, a beautiful ranch in California's Placerita Canyon inspired him to film segments for the Mickey Mouse Club.

Walt Disney Productions bought portions of the Golden Oak property in 1959 and over the decades decided to buy nearly a thousand more acres for TV and movie production use. Walt and his family spent much of their free time playing at Golden Oak, which was named after a tree. Legend has it that Golden Oak was named so due to old a vein of gold discovered under it by miners back in the 1840s.

Image: zannaland, Flickr (license)

Although most of us have accepted that we'll never own property at Golden Oak at Walt Disney World, what you might not realize is that you'll probably never be able to visit this exclusive enclave either, as you either have to have an appointment or an official invitation from a resident to be allowed on to the property. And while this may sound a little crazy at first, considering this neighborhood is smack-dab in the middle of one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, it's understandable why residents would value their privacy (and uncrowded streets). How would you feel if a bunch of tourists drove through your neighborhood every time there was a traffic jam on Buena Vista Drive? 

In the end, while living with Mickey can be pricey, life is still pretty magical at Golden Oak.