Walt Disney World opened for the public on October 1st, 1971.
With the success of Disneyland in California, which opened on July 17th, 1955, the Walt Disney Company decided to build a second park. The east-coast park opened with just one park, Magic Kingdom, and two resort hotels. Those were the Contemporary Resort Hotel and Polynesian Village.
48 years later and Walt Disney World has grown exponentially. They now operate four parks, two water parks, over 25 resort hotels, and the Disney Springs complex. The latest additions to the parks include 'Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge' at Disney's Hollywood Studios and 'Pandora -- The World of Avatar' at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
Walt Disney World continues to expand, with plans to open new attractions and resort hotels on the horizon.