Ten people who actually belong of the earth US
The ten largest private landowners, the US — businessmen, billionaires and philanthropists. They bond to their lands of thousands of hectares of land every year. Some are interested in income, others concerned about the fate of the planet and the environment, and others are guided by personal motives.
Among the landowners there is a family dynasty whose history go back hundreds of years, and newly minted millionaires. If you combine the estates of the ten largest private landowners of America, its area is about 5.5 million hectares, or 55 thousand square kilometers, exceeding the size of individual US States, such as Maryland, Connecticut or Hawaii. Who owns America found for the “House” Yulia Gushchina, specialist Tranio.
10. Family Pingree
Total land area: 336 thousand hectares
In 1841, the founder of the dynasty Pingree, trader David Pingree began to acquire forest land in Maine. Seven generations later the family already belongs to 336 thousand hectares, mainly in the States of Maine and new Hampshire. Unlike traditional landowners who sold their property to factories for cutting wood, family members, Pingree worked with corporations, maintaining their right to vote, and monitored compliance with environmental standards of the works.
Forests in the North of Maine
Photo: Pat Wellenbach / AP PHoto
In 1964, the heirs of Pingree founded the company Seven Islands Land Company, which now controls the land use of the family. Pingree has always cared not only about profit — and even in those days, when the forest conservation and environmental protection few people worried. Three-quarters of the Pingree lands have the status of especially protected natural territories, on which is supported the natural habitat of wild animals.
9. Stan Kronke
Total land area: 343 thousand hectares
Stan Kronke is one of the largest and richest builders of America, owner of several sports teams, including the London football club “Arsenal”.
Kronke spends a significant part of the state for acquiring land. The total area of holdings of billionaire in Arizona, Montana and Wyoming 4.5 times exceeds the territory of new York. In 2012 Kronke purchased a ranch in the Rocky mountains in Montana cost of $ 132 million and an area of 50 thousand hectares — that’s about two of Birmingham. On the plot there is a house with an area of 930 square meters with swimming pool. At this ranch need billionaire not so much for capital preservation and recreation: first and foremost bred elite breeds of cattle.
Waggoner Ranch
Photo: Splash News / East News
In 2016 Kronke spent a tenth of his fortune, buying one of the twenty largest cattle ranches of America — the Waggoner Ranch in Texas. The estimated cost of the purchase amounted to 655 million dollars. On-site ranch Kronke plans to build a luxury residence, and the land will be used for growing wheat and breeding cattle.
8. The King Family
Total land area: 369 thousand hectares
Dynasty of landowners king for over 150 years owned a vast territory in South Texas — an enterprising businessman Richard king started buying land here in 1853 and expanded the land until his death in 1885. Today, the “Ranch king” — the largest in Texas, it includes the six districts of the state. About the Richard king written about a dozen books in his honor even named located неподалtку from Rancho — city of Kingsville. In 1961, the “Ranch king” received the status of national historical monument.
“Ranch King”
Photo: Paul Iverson / AP Photo
The lands belonging to the king family, open to the public — on site guided tours for tourists and train farmers to farm with modern methods, safe for the environment. “Ranch king” come to eco-tourists — here you can fishing, Cycling, bird watching.
The territory of the ranch is so vast and rich, allowing owners not only to raise cattle and grow vegetables, nuts and citrus orchards, but even to extract oil and gas.
7. Family Singleton
Total land area: 450 thousand hectares
Henry singleton was a member of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, one of the founders and head of the big Corporation producing electronics — Teledyne, Inc. In the mid 1980-ies singleton was interested in investing in land and started to buy ranches in the States of new Mexico and California. For 14 years, the businessman bought 28 the ranch and became one of the largest landowners in America and the world. By 1999, Henry Singleton, had 1.5 percent of the territory of new Mexico. After his death, running the ranch took up his five children.
Family Singleton
Photo: New Mexico Office of Arch / Flickr
One of the sections of Singletons is a historic area in new Mexico, South of Santa Fe. In this area there is an archaeological excavation, and the Singletons collaborate with historians in order to preserve the cultural heritage of the region.
6. Family Irving
Total land area: 485 thousand hectares
The founder of the family, Kenneth Colin Irving, was a prominent canadian industrialist, one of the fifteen richest people in the world. Today his sons and grandsons owned about 300 companies doing business in the oil and gas industries, forestry, construction and telecommunications.
In addition to 485 thousand hectares in the USA, a family owned territories with an area of over 800 thousand hectares in Canada — Irving considered one of the largest landowners in the world. They are also the main landowners in Maine.
One belonging to Irvingism productions
Photo: Davaan Ingraham / Reuters
Unlike many of the heroes of this rating who care about the environment, Irvingi repeatedly criticized by environmentalists. Environmentalists believe that the favorite strategy of those landowners to cut down all cleaned and run away”.
5. Family Reed
Total land area: 565 thousand hectares
Information about included in the top 150 richest families in America, timber processing. That’s already five generations of the family run the company Green Diamond Resourse Company. The reeds belong to the land and forests in the States of Washington, Oregon, and California. In the ranking of the largest landowners of America, the family was only recently, almost half of its territory, 243 thousand hectares, information about acquired in 2014.
Company Green Diamond Resourse Company complies with all environmental standards and can serve as an example for other corporations in the forest industry. According to its Charter, the company is required to maintain water and land resources, flora and fauna, cultural and historical monuments in developed areas. In 2015 the celebration in honor of the 125th anniversary of the Green Diamond Resourse Company Redemi was planted Tomilino account tree.
Land Green Diamond Resourse Company
Photo: Green Diamond Resource
In 2000, the company approved a plan under which the lands the Reids will be particularly protected are 51 species of wild animals and their natural habitat. Every year in the production cycle the company is engaged only two percent of available lands, which then immediately planted new trees to the forest growth cycle was not interrupted.
4. Brad Kelly
Total land area: 670 thousand hectares
Major tobacco tycoon brad Kelly owns a lot of land in the States of new Mexico, Texas, Wyoming and Colorado. According to Kelly, he didn’t aim to become one of the largest landowners in the United States. The future billionaire was raised on a farm, and land is something that is close and familiar to him from childhood.
The first section of Kelly bought at age 17 right after graduation. Later investments in land were for the businessman one of the favorite ways of preserving and increasing capital. Kelly had a good nose for a bargain — the last of the acquired assets for five years has risen in price twice. A billionaire does not manage the ranch, only invests money in the purchase and on earth continue to operate as tenants of the previous owners.
Owned by brad Kelly farm “Calumet”
Photo: Sue Ogrocki / AP Photo
One of my Hobbies brad Kelly — development of new breeds of cattle and the cultivation of rare species of animals. Kelly is working with zoos and funds for wildlife protection. On one of his farms bred dwarf Buffalo, antelopes and wild oxen, and tapirs, hippos and rhinos.
3. Family Emerson
Total land area: 770 thousand hectares
The family of Emerson owned the land and forests in California. Land of Electricity has grown rapidly, each year they acquire new territory — only in 2015, piggy family was added to the plots with a total area of 22 thousand hectares. The head of the family, Archie Emerson, is the largest private landowner in California.
Several generations of the Emerson work in the timber industry. Theirs is the second-largest U.S. company producing lumber Sierra Pacific Industries. The company also cares about the environment: each year, farmers grow only a little more than one percent of the land of Electricity, but instead of felled trees planted new ones.
Possession of Sierra Pacific Industries
Photo: Paul Sakuma / AP PHoto
The billionaires who could afford to live anywhere in the world, no matter what would not change California. Archie Emerson says that since childhood most loves to be in the woods. For him there is no better holiday than hunting or fishing in their own lands.
The forest of Electricity are private property but open to the public. Here you can fishing, Hiking, ride a Bicycle, while it is forbidden to collect flowers, mushrooms and berries, to spend the night in tents and to light fires.
2. Ted Turner
Total land area: 809 thousand hectares
The founder of CNN Ted Turner as a boy, he loved to hunt and fish and wander in the woods. The billionaire claims that a child, even went to the police, shot the squirrel in the land of the neighbor. Then he vowed to himself that someday will earn a lot of money and buy as many of their own land. Turner kept his word. Today he is one of the largest landowners in America.
Ranch Vermejo Park
Photo: J. N. Stuart / Flickr
Favorite place Turner, where he spends a lot of time, ranch Vermejo Park. The billionaire takes guests — politicians, royals and stars of show business, in the mansion built in the middle of the ranch for more than a century ago. By the way, you can stay and “mere mortals”: a room in the mansion Turner can be rented at a price of $ 550-650 per night.
Recently, Ted Turner decided to take on a new business — ecotourism. “Vermejo Park and three ranch businessman was opened to the public that wants to go fishing, Cycling, Hiking, photo Safari and so on.
Billionaire plans to turn their private land into the national Park, but more intimate and intimate than, for example, Yellowstone. According to Turner, in his Park at Buffalo will focus hundreds of cameras — here you can be alone with nature.
1. John Malone
Total land area: 890 thousand hectares
Ranch Bell Ranch in new Mexico
Photo: Land Report
First place in the ranking of the largest landowners in the US is John Malone. The founder of Liberty Media Corporation, one of the hundred richest people in the world owns a ranch in Wyoming, new Mexico and Colorado, as well as forests in Maine.
The territory belongs to the Malone, 150 times the size of Manhattan, and three times the area of the state of Rhode island with a population of one million people. Earth billionaire in Maine be more than five percent of the area of the state.
Malone not long ago won first place in the ranking of the largest landowners in America. About half their land — 485 hectares of forest in Maine and land in new Hampshire — he bought in 2011. Malone is an old friend of the previous character, Ted Turner. According to the businessman, it is Turner’s “infected” it with the land fever. And yet, according to the millionaire, his passion for collecting land affected Jewish roots and living in it the genetic memory of people, for centuries not having his territory. Millager says that in addition to financial reasons and concerns about the environment, at a constant acquisition of new plots, it inspires a special feeling of awe and admiration which he feels looking at vast expanses of land owned by him.
