Neverland Ranch
| File:Gates to Neverland.jpg Entrance to Neverland Ranch | |
| Location: | 5225 Figueroa Mountain Rd, Los Olivos, CA 93441 |
|---|---|
| Size: | Appromixately 2, 800 acres |
| Employees: | Approximately 70 |
| Attractions: | zoo, amusement park including a railway, video arcade, and Golf carts. |
| Acquisition date: | 1988 |
Neverland Ranch, or Neverland Valley Ranch, was owned by and is the former home of American pop musician Michael Jackson. It is located at 5225 Figueroa Mountain Rd, Los Olivos, CA 93441, about 5 miles (8 km) north of unincorporated Los Olivos, Santa Barbara County, California . It was once operated as his private amusement park and home when it opened in 1988. [1] The name Neverland came from the fictional island in the story Peter Pan. [2]
Background
Sitting in the lower foothills of the San Rafael Mountains, Neverland is located at 5225 Figueroa Mountain Road, about five miles (8 km) north of unincorporated Los Olivos, Santa Barbara County, California (about eight miles north of the town of Santa Ynez), in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Long before Michael Jackson made Neverland his home, the area surrounding Neverland was made of working ranches. Today, it comprises luxury developments. [3] Neverland, which is over 2, 800 acres (11 km²) in size, [4] contains, among other things, a zoo and a theme park. [5] At the amusement park, visitors will find a Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, and bumper cars. [6] Golf carts are provided as transportation and fun rides (see documentary Living with Michael Jackson).
As with much of Neverland, little is known about the value of Michael Jackson's former home. In early 2004, news program Entertainment Tonight estimated Neverland Ranch to be valued at approximately $12,000,000. [citation needed] That figure is slightly different from the $12.3 million the Santa Barbara County assessor's office believes it to be worth. [7] Forbes estimates the ranch may be worth a lot more than that. [8] In reality, according to others, Neverland may be worth around $50 million. [9] The $50 million figure is a clear contrast to the $12 million proposed by the county assessor, but it is closer to the $14.6 million purchase price Jackson was offered when he originally bought Neverland. [10]
To protect the sprawling estate of Neverland, security is at hand, although unarmed, [11] but there is what is called the Office of Special Security (OSS) which has a team of armed security personnel. The OSS is described as an elite team of personal bodyguards. There have been allegations of OSS personnel intimidating other employees, such as a former Neverland security supervisor named Kassim Abdool. Abdool alleged that these bodyguards acted in a violent manner towards others and threatened him with his life. He was also one of several former Neverland employees who sued Michael Jackson, lost, and were ordered instead to pay Jackson. [12]
When Neverland was still open, it occasionally served as a host to numerous parties held by Michael Jackson. In 1991, Jackson hosted friend Elizabeth Taylor's wedding to Larry Fortensky. On September 13th, 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 E Que Fica?" It was dubbed "Michael's mother of all parties." [13] According to a Jackson spokeswoman, groups of children continued to visit the ranch during the 2005 trial, but Jackson had little time to meet with them. After the trial ended in June 2005, Michael Jackson made his primary residence in Bahrain.
Some allege that children at Neverland were reckless at times and were not bound by many rules. Children were told to follow a few rules and were allowed to go about Neverland at will. The children were free to eat whatever and whenever they wanted and sleeping hours were not very regular. Kiki Fournier, a former housekeeper, compared Neverland to Pinocchio's Pleasure Island. [14]
Police searches
In both 1993 and 2003, Jackson was accused of inappropriate sexual behavior towards young boys who had spent a great deal of time at Neverland. These accusations resulted in police searches of Neverland. The 1993 incident was settled outside of court, but the 2003 incident did lead to a trial in which Jackson was found not guilty on all charges. [15] In relation to the 2005 molestation trial, detectives searched Neverland twice. The first search was conducted on November 18th, 2003 by more than sixty police officers. The second search took place a year later on December 3rd, 2004. [16]
Neverland closed
Due to the first criminal investigation that took place at Neverland in 1993 and the searches conducted there, Jackson decided he would no longer reside at Neverland. As a result, he moved to Beverly Hills, but returned to Neverland in late 2004. "I won't live there ever again," he said. "It's a house now. It's not a home anymore. I'll only visit." When the 2005 molestation trial came to an end, Jackson left the United States and Neverland for a stay in Bahrain. [17]Jackson still resides in Bahrain.
Speculation was rampant about the fate of Neverland, but on March 16, 2006, the ranch was officially closed and most of the employees were terminated without benefits or pensions (though approximately $400,000 in back wages were paid). It was announced that Jackson would not be returning to the United States in the foreseeable future. According to his spokesperson, Raymone Bain, Jackson closed his house and reduced his work force. [18]
Animals still at Neverland are currently being cared for by a Neverland employee. Despite allegations of animal mistreatment, the driver of a delivery truck that provided Neverland's animals with food stated, "The animals are well taken care of..." [19] USDA investigators echoed the same beliefs when they found no credible evidence to suggest that mistreatment claims were true. [20]
According to tabloid The National Enquirer, the mansion and its adjoining amusement park have fallen into disuse and are falling apart. However, the allegations that Neverland was no longer being in a state to care for its animals, has now been discredited by the USDA. [21]
In July of 2005, a month after the 2005 acquittal of Jackson, a Jackson spokesman told a German newspaper that Michael may build a Disneyland style home, near Berlin, based on the German fairytale castle Neuschwanstein. [22]
References
- ^ King of Pop Downsizes Kingdom
- ^ Inside Jackson's fantasy estate
- ^ Jackson's mystery ranch
- ^ Dispute shuts down Jackson ranch
- ^ Closing The Gates
- ^ Michael Jackson opens Neverland Ranch
- ^ Jackson denies Neverland sale
- ^ The Most Expensive Ranches
- ^ Eminem Off To Neverland?
- ^ Jackson's California Playland Goes Dark
- ^ At Neverland, they believe
- ^ Former Jackson guard describes suggestive Jacuzzi scene with teen
- ^ Michael's Exclusive Neverland Party!
- ^ Star's home 'was pleasure island'
- ^ Grown-up problems knock at Michael Jackson's Neverland
- ^ Sheriff's deputies and prosecutors search Jackson's home again
- ^ Jackson Leaves Neverland
- ^ Jackson closes Neverland house
- ^ Jackson pays back wages, closes Neverland estate
- ^ Feds says no animal mistreatment at Neverland
- ^ Plus, living in Michael Jackson's personal zoo
- ^ Jackson 'plans to build Neverland in Berlin'
