Sycamore Valley Ranch, formerly Neverland Ranch or Neverland, is a developed property in Santa Barbara County, California. It is best known for being the home and private amusement park of American entertainer Michael Jackson from 1988 until 2005. The ranch is located about 5 miles north of unincorporated Los Olivos, and about eight miles north of the town of Santa Ynez. In 2020, after several price drops, billionaire Ronald Burkle purchased the property for USD 22 million.
About Neverland Ranch in brief
Sycamore Valley Ranch, formerly Neverland Ranch or Neverland, is a developed property in Santa Barbara County, California. It is best known for being the home and private amusement park of American entertainer Michael Jackson from 1988 until 2005. The ranch is located about 5 miles north of unincorporated Los Olivos, and about eight miles north of the town of Santa Ynez. In 2020, after several price drops, billionaire Ronald Burkle purchased the property for USD 22 million. The estate was originally known as the Zaca Laderas Ranch at the time of its purchase by the property developer William Bone in 1981. Bone commissioned the architect Robert Altevers to design the principal buildings on the ranch, and the pair spent two and a half years researching potential designs and ideas. There was also a Ferris wheel, Carousel, Zipper, Octopus, Pirate Ship, Wave Swinger, Super Slide, roller coaster, bumper cars, and an amusement arcade. The property included three railroads: one 3 ft narrow gauge named \”Neverland Valley Railroad\”, with a steam locomotive named Katherine after his mother, built in 1973), and two coaches.
The other was a 2 ft narrow gauge, with a C. P. Huntington replica locomotive made by Chance Rides. The master closet also contained a secret safe room for security. Some of the events that took place at the Ranch included the wedding of Elizabeth Taylor and Larry Fortensky in 1991, the live Oprah Winfrey interview of Jackson in 1993, and a event in 1995 when Jackson and Marie Presley hosted children from around the world. Neverland has a central role in the allegations of sexual abuse against Jackson; it is one of the main sites where it was searched by police officers in 2003 after he was charged with multiple counts of molesting a minor. However, Jackson stated he would never live at the property again as he no longer considered it a home and did not return to Neverland. In 2006, the most of the facilities of the ranch were closed and most staff were dismissed with a spokesperson stating that this was the reflection of the fact that Jackson no longer lived there.
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This page is based on the article Neverland Ranch published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 30, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
