Are they building Disney in NC?

April 19, 2023, 5:16 PM · Let's get this out of the way first - no, there's no chance that North Carolina is going to lure the Walt Disney World Resort to abandon Florida for the Tar Heel state.



No, The Walt Disney Company is not building a theme park in North Carolina in 2026. This is a persistent and long-running "urban legend" that resurfaces every few years. The rumor often suggests that Disney has bought thousands of acres in areas like Johnston County or near the Research Triangle. While Disney has expanded into North Carolina through its "Storyliving by Disney" brand—specifically the Asteria community located in Pittsboro (Chatham County)—this is a residential housing development, not a theme park. Asteria is designed for residents aged 55+ and families, featuring Disney-inspired amenities and community programming. Disney's strategy for theme parks in 2026 remains focused on expanding its existing "core" resorts in Florida, California, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Shanghai through the massive $60 billion investment plan announced in 2024. If you hear news about "Disney in NC," it is almost certainly referring to the Asteria residential project rather than a new "East Coast" rival to Disney World.

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By now, you may have heard some rumors regarding Walt Disney World's relocation. This is due to an act named “Mickey's Freedom Restoration Act” proposed by North Carolina Democrats.

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The American Heartland Theme Park will be located along Route 66 in northeast Oklahoma. The 1,000-acre development, which includes a 125-acre theme park, 300-room hotel and indoor water park, is slated to open in two phases – the first in spring 2025 and the second in 2026.

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Even if Disney COULD move many portions of the resort, it would require additional investment of billions and billions of dollars. And Disney employs 75,000 people in Florida. They have recruited and built up a population that fits their employment needs over the past several decades.

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Very roughly, it would take at the very least $12.3 billion in today's dollars to build out the Walt Disney World property to its current state. And note that this answer is roughly six years old. So even if they did decide to leave Florida, it would take them decades and billions to rebuild.

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American Heartland will sprawl over 1,000 acres in the northeastern part of the state, according to developer Mansion Entertainment Group.

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Disneyland Hotel DVC – Disney is building a 350-room Disney Vacation Club tower as part of Disneyland Hotel to debut on September 28, 2023.

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Rancho Mirage, California, a city in the Coachella Valley not far from Palm Springs, will be the site of Disney's first “Storyliving” community, the company said in a press release.

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An affiliate of Walt Disney has bought land in the T5 Kings Mountain data center park in North Carolina, where local officials have been working to line up incentives for a mystery prospect, according to local media.

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Disney parks chief Josh D'Amaro said “leadership changes” and “changing business conditions” prompted Disney to reconsider its 2021 plan to relocate employees, including its Imagineers who design theme park rides, to a new campus in Lake Nona.

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You're typically eligible for a relocation package if your new role with Disney involves a move that's a considerable distance from your current location. This would usually be specified during the hiring process or role transition.

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The proposed Disney Entertainment Destination eastside expansion would bring together theme park experiences, hotels, retail, dining and entertainment on the Toy Story parking lot next to the Anaheim Convention Center. The DisneylandForward plan also includes possible new parking along Disney Way.

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Rides & Attractions Coming To The Disney Parks In 2024
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  • Revamped Country Bear Jamboree: Magic Kingdom, Disney World.


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After hiring the Stanford Research Institute to perform a feasibility study determining an appropriate site for his project, Disney bought a 160-acre (65 ha) site near Anaheim in 1953.

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nope. Honestly, this is a rumor that has spread multiple times in the Disney space, so we wanted to debunk the rumor. Disney is not planning to make a move to Texas or to build a theme park in Texas anytime soon.

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Disney's America was a proposed theme park that was to have been built by the Walt Disney Company in Haymarket, Virginia in the early 1990s. The park was to have been dedicated to the history of the United States; however, amid opposition from citizen's groups, the project was cancelled in 1994.

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Disney initially filed its lawsuit against DeSantis, a 2024 Republican presidential hopeful, in April, after DeSantis appointed a board made up of his political allies to oversee the special taxing district that contains Walt Disney World Resort.

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