Development of Orlando, Florida 

Orlando, Florida, is reported to be the most visited destination in the United States. In 2014, more than 62 million people flocked to this centrally located city in the Sunshine State. And while the exact number of visitors fluctuates from year to year, tourism has had a marked impact on the landscape. 

The spread of development is visible in this pair of false-color images of greater Orlando, Florida (including Walt Disney World) in 1973 and 2016. Acquired with the Landsat series of satellites, the scenes are shown in green, red, and near-infrared light, a combination that helps differentiate components of the landscape. Vegetation is red, urban areas are brown to gray, and water appears dark. Note that the resolution of Landsat imaging instruments was lower at the beginning of the time series than at the end. 

At the time that the first image in our series was acquired (1973), the Magic Kingdom—the first of Walt Disney World’s four theme parks—had been open for over a year. The resort continued to expand over four decades with the opening of three more theme parks: Epcot in 1982; Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 1989; and Animal Kingdom in 1998. Other theme parks also took shape during this period (SeaWorld and Universal Studios). With the growth of theme parks came the growth of businesses and infrastructure to accommodate the influx of visitors. Schools, neighborhoods, and businesses were also built to support the area’s more permanent residents. 

For more information, visit: 
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30761 
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