Actors - Neverland Ranch

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	Actors - Neverland Ranch

Neverland Ranch, or Neverland Valley Ranch, is a California property owned by American pop musician Michael Jackson. It was once operated as his private amusement park and home, and opened in 1988. The name Neverland came from the fictional island in the story Peter Pan.

Michael Jackson was ordered to his Neverland Valley Ranch by California authorities, who have fined the pop star $US169,000 ($230,700) for failing to pay his employees or maintain proper workers' compensation insurance. At the time that the ranch was closed (March 16, 2006), Jackson was living outside of United States jurisdiction.

Back wages have now been paid, but employment has not been resumed, except that the animals which are still there are looked after. Some family members take care of security.

Location

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. Its geographic location is .

Size and contents

The total size of the ranch is 2,538 acres (10 km²), and about 30 employees used to work at the ranch. Neverland contains (among other things) a zoo, and taking care of the animals now seems to be the main activity on the ranch. Now non-operational are an amusement park including a railway, and a video arcade. Golf carts provided transportation and fun rides.

Security

Security at the ranch was unarmed. However, there was an Office of Special Services (OSS) with armed security personnel. There have been allegations of OSS personnel intimidating other employees.

Visitors

Jackson has often entertained children at Neverland, including several young boys between 10 and 14 years old with whom Jackson appeared to be very close. Visitors have included Jordan Chandler (accused Jackson of sexual molestation in 1993), Macaulay Culkin, Wade Robson, Brett Barnes, Corey Feldman, accuser Gavin Arvizo, his brother, his sister, their mother, and their biological father.

Discipline

Some former maids have claimed that 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.

Accusations of impropriety

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.

Jackson's residence at Neverland

Originally, Jackson lived at Neverland. After the 2003 police search, however, Jackson said that Neverland no longer felt like a home and was now a house he just "visits." As a result, he moved to Beverly Hills, but returned to Neverland in late 2004. 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.

Speculation about Neverland

Speculation was rampant about the fate of Neverland, but on March 16, 2006, the ranch was officially closed, all employees terminated without benefits or pensions (though approximately $400,000 in back wages were paid), and it was announced that Jackson would not be returning to the United States in the forseeable future. According to his spokesperson Raymone Bain, Jackson closed his house and reduced his work force. There are still animals; they are currently being looked after by state officials, but welfare groups call for them to be farmed out to charitable organisations. Reportedly, some of the exotic animals in the zoo are for sale .

In 2005 a Jackson spokesman told a German newspaper that Michael may build a Disneyland style home, near Berlin, based on the German fairytale castle Neuschwanstein.

In early 2004, news program Entertainment Tonight estimated Neverland Ranch to be valued at approximately $12,000,000. Plans have yet to be announced for sale of the site.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Neverland Ranch ]

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