Submitted by jdward01 t3_126m75p in todayilearned
Those who live in the area have experience with the “hidden” side of the manner that Disney operated then, and even in more recent years. One friend lives in the area near Cape Canaveral, usually called Cape Kennedy at that time. They heard of land being bought up, and figured it was related to the space program and speculated that it was driven by NASA expansion during that time. Later, when Walt Disney World opened, the area saw tremendous growth, which later dissipated with the shrinkage of the space program.
Sadly, when we last visited relatives in the Orlando and Space Coast area, (especially the Cape Canaveral area), there was widespread foreclosures and abandoned houses in some neighborhoods where contractors, engineers and technicians from NASA and companies like Hughes and Martin Marietta once lived.
Yeah I'm a pretty big fan of the space race and learning all about that stuff and was so psyched to check out the space coast when I got a chance to. Outside of Kennedy Space Center there really isn't much to see and it's pretty depressing tbh. Really rundown, gave Scooby Doo ghost town vibes.
Cocoa Beach is still pretty vibrant.
Right lol people are being way overblown about this. satellite beach, Melbourne, the list goes on.
Who the fuck still uses a payphone?
Sorry, I’m trying to connect the dots: what’s the “hidden” side? It seems like you’re implying that Disney killed the Space Coast? I’m not sure that tracks. I’m from central Florida and very familiar with the way Disney operates politically and economically in the area, and I don’t see the connection you’re trying to make.
You may be more familiar than most of the impact Disney has on the region. “The hidden side” was referring to the secretive 1960’s purchase of land, mentioned in the wiki article linked. It was later “revealed” to be part of the Disney project.
Not implying that Disney killed the Space Coast, either. That seems to be the result of changes in investment for the Space Program, and contractors who worked in engineering jobs related to the Space Program.
That growth returned with the Artemis program in addition to commercial space industry using KSC.
I've heard stories of the post-Apollo era where laid-off engineers would simply pack up everything, leave the house keys in the mailbox, and just drive away.
In our friends’ neighborhood, it is roughly 30-40% empty houses, some of which have been empty for years. The realtors stopped putting signs out front. Some houses got taken over by squatters that hook up the electrical system to generators.
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