Ok. Lots of things "Disney" have the name Buena Vista: Buena Vista Picture Distribution, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Lake Buena Vista, Buena Vista (a street in Burbank)... which came first? I would assume that the city did... did Disney name it? Fill in!

According to Disney A-Z, all the Disney Buena Vista's sprout from Buena Vista Street in Burbank. That just happened to be one of the four streets bordering the Disney lot in Burbank; the street predated the studio being there.

As Alex said, Disney's use of "Buena Vista" originated with the street where the Walt Disney Studios are located. The official mailing address of the Disney Studios is 500 S. Buena Vista Street in Burbank. The street had that name before the studios were built. Disney did name Lake Buena Vista in Florida after they purchased that large plot of land.

Disney also uses the name "Hyperion" quite a bit (the theater at DCA, the book publishing division, the theatrical brand used for "Aida", etc.). That is another street-derived name. The original Disney Studios were located on Hyperion Avenue in the Silver Lake district of L.A.

-Jeff

I live in Independence, OR, 7 miles from Buena Vista, OR (pop. 13) and I believe Walt came through Independence, stopping to get an ice cream cone one day, and saw the signs to Buena Vista. He went out there and met the only inhabitant, a woman named Lillian. They got married and he named everything Buena Vista after the lovely town his wife was from.

Okay, so that's not true. I do however live 7 miles from Buena Vista, OR (pop. 13) though. ;)

Other "Buena Vista" Things:

The Mailing Adress for "Disney Interactive", is 500 S. Buena Vista St.
All the Millionaire PC games (besides #1), are made by "Buena Vista Interactive", a spinoff of DI. (Also BVI was used in the late 80's/ early 90s for computer games.)

Originally posted by JeffG
The original Disney Studios were located on Hyperion Avenue in the Silver Lake district of L.A.My mom grew up in the hills of Silver Lake, so I know exactly where the old Disney Studios on Hyperion were... very cute little cottages!

Lake Buena Vista is world renowned as the most desirable location in the Orlando Florida area. Situated on the edge of Disney property, it is in the midst of the world's most popular attractions. Lake Buena Vista hotels put visitors right in the middle of all the magic. Since its completion in April of 1973, Lake Buena Vista has bloomed into a major tourist center full of hotels, shops and restaurants. Lake Buena Vista hotels surround Walt Disney World Village, and are only moments away from Downtown Disney Marketplace, Pleasure Island and Downtown Disney West Side. There are numerous resorts, shops and restaurants all within walking distance. Universal Studios, Sea World, Wet N Wild are all just 10 minutes away. To insure the ultimate vacation experience, Lake Buena Vista has been determined to represent the best choice for a fun-filled vacation. I guess they named the city after Walts Buena Vista!!! WOW!!!

The "city" of Lake Buena Vista, Florida is entirely located on property owned by the Walt Disney Company. All the streets and other public facilities within the community are privately operated by Disney.

As I said earlier, the city was named for the street in Burbank where the Walt Disney Studios are located.

-Jeff