Neverland Ranch
| Location: | 5225 Figueroa Mountain Rd, Los Olivos, CA 93441 |
|---|---|
| Size: | Appromixately 3,000 acres (12 km2) |
| Employees: | Approximately 70 |
| Acquisition date: | 1988 |
Neverland Valley Ranch is a developed property in Santa Barbara County, California, owned by American pop musician Michael Jackson. It operated as his private amusement park and home when the facility opened in 1988, but is no longer in operation.[1] The property is over 2,800 acres (11 km²) in size;[2] it contains, among other things, a zoo and a theme park, with a Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, zipper, spider, sea dragon, wave swinger, super slide, dragon wagon kiddie roller coaster and bumper cars. It is named after Neverland, the fantastical island in the story of Peter Pan, where children never grow up.
The ranch is located at 5225 Figueroa Mountain Rd, Los Olivos, CA 93441, about 5 miles (8 km) north of unincorporated Los Olivos (about eight miles (13 km) north of the town of Santa Ynez), in the Santa Ynez Valley. The area surrounding Neverland previously consisted of working ranches; today, the area is made up of vineyards. A small prep school, the Midland School, is located across the road from the ranch.
Activities
Neverland served as the venue of numerous parties held by Michael Jackson. In 1991, Jackson hosted friend Elizabeth Taylor's wedding to Larry Fortensky. On September 13, 2003, he held a grand party to raise money for Oneness, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and pop artist Romero Britto's Brazilian charity, "E Ai Como é Que Fica?" It was dubbed "Michael's mother of all parties".[3]
Jackson routinely invited children to visit the ranch. Some allege that the children were not bound by many rules, allowed to roam the property at will, eat whatever and whenever they wanted, and slept irregular hours. Kiki Fournier, a former housekeeper, compared Neverland to Pinocchio's Pleasure Island.[4]
In both 1993 and 2003, Jackson was accused of inappropriate sexual behavior towards young boys who had spent time at Neverland. The 1993 allegations were settled out of court, but the 2003 allegations led to a trial in which Jackson was found not guilty on all 10 counts.[5] In connection with the 2005 trial, detectives searched Neverland twice. The first search was conducted on November 18, 2003 by more than sixty police officers. The second search took place just over a year later on December 3, 2004.[6] According to a Jackson spokeswoman, groups of children continued to visit the ranch during the 2005 trial, but the performer had little time to meet with them. After the trial ended in June 2005, he made his primary residence in Bahrain.
Value
In early 2004, news program Entertainment Tonight estimated Neverland Ranch to be valued at approximately $12.0 million. The Santa Barbara County assessor's office has assessed its value at $6 million, but only for tax purposes Forbes estimates the ranch may be worth significantly more than that; according to an article on a Jackson family memorabilia auction in Las Vegas, Nevada, the largest to date, "a 1987 contract detailing his $30 million purchase of the California ranch that became the infamous 'Neverland' was pulled out."[citation needed]
Neverland Ranch has been foreclosed upon as of October 22, 2007.[7][8] However, a spokeswoman for Jackson says the loan is merely being refinanced.[9]
References
- ^ Ryan, Joal (2006-03-17). "King of Pop Downsizes Kingdom". E! News. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Dispute shuts down Jackson ranch". BBC News. 2006-03-10. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Michael's Exclusive Neverland Party!". Entertainment Tonight. 2003-08-23. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Star's home 'was pleasure island'". BBC News. 2005-03-18. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Grown-up problems knock at Michael Jackson's Neverland". Associated Press. CNN. 2003-12-13. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Cushner, Quintin (2004-12-04). "Sheriff's deputies and prosecutors search Jackson's home again". Santa Maria Times. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Neverland in Foreclosure?". TMZ.com. 2007-11-06. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
- ^ "Foreclosure Detail Report" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-11-07.
- ^ "Jackson 'will not lose Neverland'". BBC News. 2007-11-10. Retrieved 2007-11-10.
