Neverland Ranch
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Neverland_Valley_Ranch_Map.jpg
Neverland Ranch (or Neverland Valley Ranch) is a California property owned by United States pop musician Michael Jackson. It is named after Neverland, the fictional island in the story Peter Pan. Jackson lives at Neverland.
Jackson acquired the ranch in 1988. It is on Figueroa Mountain Road, about five miles north of unincorporated Los Olivos, Santa Barbara County, California (about eight miles north of the town of Santa Ynez). It sits in the lower foothills of the San Rafael Mountains, and contains (among other things) a zoo, an amusement park including a railway, and a video arcade. Golf carts provide transportation and fun rides. The total size of the ranch is 2,538 acres and about 30 employees work at the ranch. Security at the ranch are not armed. For some time, there was an Office of Special Services (OSS) with armed security personnel. There have been allegations of OSS personnel intimidating other employees.
Over the years, Jackson has often entertained children at Neverland including several young boys in the age range between 10 and 14 whom Jackson appeared to be very close with. Visitors have included Jordan Chandler (accused Jackson of sexual molestation in 1993), Macaulay Culkin, Wade Robson, Brett Barnes, and Corey Feldman.
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. Large police searches followed the accusations. 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.
Some former maids have said that, in the past, there has been little discipline at Neverland Ranch. Jackson's young friends had 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 maid, compared Neverland to Pinocchio's Pleasure Island.
Jackson said that, after the most recent police search, Neverland no longer felt like a home and was now a house he just "visits." He lived for some time in Beverly Hills, but as of 2005 lives at Neverland again. According to a Jackson spokeswoman, groups of children continued to visit the ranch during the trial, but Jackson had little time to meet with them.
As Michael Jackson has a huge debt he plans to sell Neverland and move out of the country to Europe. [1 (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15667321%255E2703,00.html)] Animals have been moved out and there is no money for repairs.
External links
- Map of Neverland, and more (http://www.videopark.com/mj.htm)
- Satellite Images of Neverland (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Figueroa+mountain+rd.&ll=34.746430,-120.087111&sll=34.652771,-120.104432&spn=0.008014,0.011727&sspn=0.022797,0.043228&t=k&hl=en)
- USA Today: Neverland article (http://www.usatoday.com/life/2003-11-23-neverland-believe_x.htm)
- Information about Neverland (http://www.besteatz.com/neverLand/neverLand.html)de:Neverland-Ranch