about the book

What is it like to start a new community-not a suburb or a subdivision, but a town, intended to be a self-supporting community that combines the best of the new technological innovations and the most cherished nostalgic elements of American towns? In 1997, six months after the first residents relocated to Celebration, Florida--Disney's "model" town--Doug Frantz and Cathy Collins and their two children moved in to participate in and report on this new venture. Their account, which The Richmond Style Weekly called a "fascinating and evenhanded" report from the trenches, follows the ups and downs of the two years the family lived this experiment firsthand; the new afterword details their surprisingly difficult transition back to a "normal life" in Westport, Connecticut. Their experience tells us as much about ourselves and our hopes and dreams as it does about the daily reality of building a community from the ground up.

about the authors

Douglas Frantz
Douglas Frantz is on the national staff of The New York Times and has written for the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, and The Albuquerque Tribuune.

Catherine Collins
Catherine Collins has written for the Chigaco Tribune and The Los Angeles Times.

how to quote

FRANTZ, Douglas; COLLINS, Catherine. Celebration, USA. Living in Disney's brave new town. 2nd edition, Ontário, Henry Holt and Co., 2000.

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