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Rancho del Cielo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rancho del Cielo, or "Ranch of the Sky," is a 688 acre (2.8 km²) ranch located in the hills northwest of Santa Barbara, California. It served as a vacation home for Ronald Reagan first starting 5 weeks before he married Nancy in 1952 and later when he served as Governor of California and then as President of The United States of America.
Reagan bought the ranch for about $527,000 in 1974 when his second term as governor was coming to an end. The estate contains a restored Reagan-made pond called Lake Lucky, stables and a barn for horses, and a 1,500 ft² (139 m²) house decorated with 1970s-style furniture. The ranch is located in the Santa Ynez Mountains up one-laned Refugio Road off U.S. Route 101 and six miles up a two lane road from Solvang, California where they bought groceries and visited friends. Ronald Reagan last visited the ranch in 1995 and Nancy last visited it in 1998. Michael Reagan regualrly visits the ranch as part of Young America events.
Reagan spent vacations during his presidency at his ranch, which became known as the Western White House. One of the most significant events that took place there was the signing of the Economic Recovery Tax Act in 1981. The ranch played host at various times to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Queen Elizabeth II, and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
After leaving the presidency in 1989, the Reagans moved to a home in Bel-Air, California, but kept the ranch as a retreat. In April 1998, the ranch was sold to the Young America's Foundation, a conservative group which preserves it today as what it calls "a living monument to Reagan's ideas, values, and lasting accomplishments."
Although the ranch is closed to the public, Young America's Foundation offers students and supporters the opportunity to visit the property Reagan called heaven. The ranch is located about 45 minutes north of Santa Barbara up a fairly difficult mountain drive. The GPS Coordinates are