Michael Jackson purchased the sprawling 2,675-acre Sycamore Valley Ranch property in the Santa Ynez Valley, 2 ½ hours north of Los Angeles from developer William Bone, complete with a fully furnished 13,000 sq. ft. main house and multiple outbuildings, spectacular gardens, and a four-acre lake in 1987. He paid $19.5 million. 

Making it entirely his own, Michael renamed the property Neverland and created a magical fantasy setting for his home, complete with his own theatre, zoo, a private amusement park, fairgrounds, two railways with a steam locomotive and a grand main station.

Jackson lived in the home as his exclusive private residence from 1988 until 2003 when he decided not to return to the property following a police search, saying that he no longer considered the ranch home. In 2006, the facilities were closed and most of the staff were dismissed. A spokesman for Neverland at the time stated that this reflected the fact that Michael Jackson no longer lived there.

Jackson used the ranch as collateral for a loan, which he defaulted on. In 2008, private equity firm Colony Capital purchased the default note for $22.5 million. It's now a joint-venture between them and the Jackson Estate. 

On March 1, 2019, the ranch was re-listed after years on and off the market for $31 million, quite the discount from the original $100 million asking price.

Michael Jackson

Famous owners