{"id":99719,"date":"2025-12-18T14:46:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T14:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/99719\/"},"modified":"2025-12-18T14:46:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T14:46:09","slug":"a-california-ranch-that-starred-in-war-of-the-worlds-and-babylon-just-listed-for-44-million","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/99719\/","title":{"rendered":"A California Ranch That Starred in \u2018War of the Worlds\u2019 and \u2018Babylon\u2019 Just Listed for $44 Million"},"content":{"rendered":"

A sprawling California ranch long owned by the late financier and racehorse breeder Jed Cohen has just popped up for sale. Nestled in the rural community of Piru, about 40 miles north of downtown Los Angeles in the northeastern reaches of Ventura County, the entire spread is asking $44 million, with the listing<\/a> shared by Bill McDavid of Hall and Hall and Terry Hundemer of the Chickering Company.<\/p>\n

Resting in the scenic foothills of the Topatopa Mountains near Lake Piru and the Santa Felicia Dam, the roughly 5,600-acre parcel was purchased by the Cohen family in 2000 for nearly $4 million from Texaco, which had been pumping oil there. The family subsequently invested $30 million into the property. And if the place looks familiar, that\u2019s because it can be seen in the films War of the Worlds starring Tom Cruise and Babylon featuring Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie; it\u2019s also made appearances in Billie Eilish and Toby Keith music videos.<\/p>\n

More from Robb Report<\/p>\n

\"Rancho<\/p>\n

Rancho Temescal Piru CA<\/p>\n

RELATED: Why the Ultra-Wealthy Are Betting Big on America\u2019s Luxury Ranch Estates<\/a><\/p>\n

Dating back to the 1800s, Rancho Temescal features a hacienda-style main home and seven separate residences for staff, plus an equestrian complex with an 18-stall barn, two arenas, 20 paddocks, and pastures. Around 460 acres of irrigated agricultural land encompasses lemon and avocado orchards, organic row crops, and historic olive groves, while an event venue can host up to 350 guests, and an oil-drilling operation provides a revenue stream.<\/p>\n

A haven for native wildlife, the surrounding canyons are rife with mule deer, coyotes, black bears, bobcats, mountain lions, and bald eagles. Plentiful outdoor recreational pursuits are also yours for the taking, from horseback riding, hiking, and biking to fishing and boating on Lake Piru.<\/p>\n

\"Rancho<\/p>\n

Rancho Temescal Piru CA<\/p>\n

RELATED: L.A.\u2019s Famed 112-Acre Robert Taylor Ranch Is Back on the Market for $70 Million<\/a><\/p>\n

Ideally suited to developers or entrepreneurs, the property can be used as a sanctuary for horses, a lush agricultural valley, or a film set. It can also serve as a time capsule of sorts, reflecting the region\u2019s rich history. \u201cRancho Temescal is far more than a historic land grant\u2014it is a living narrative of California itself,\u201d McDavid said in a statement. \u201cFrom Native American roots to Spanish Colonial expansion, from visionary 19th-century agriculture to 20th-century oil booms and cattle, and finally to its current role as a thriving, multi-use rural enterprise, the ranch reflects the dynamic spirit of the American West with a legacy etched into the soil that echoes through the generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cohen, a veteran investment banker and financial adviser, died<\/a> in 2022 at age 89. Per The Wall Street Journal<\/a>, he was originally introduced to the property by his horse trainer, who was looking at a small part of it for keeping thoroughbreds. But when Cohen saw it, he fell in love and decided to buy the whole kit and kaboodle. \u201cJed grew up in Long Beach, N.Y., and never imagined owning so much land,\u201d said his son, Tim Cohen, who is now selling the property. \u201cIt just feels a little different now without him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> for more photos of the Ventura County residence.<\/p>\n

\"Rancho<\/a><\/p>\n

Rancho Temescal Piru CA<\/p>\n

Best of Robb Report<\/p>\n

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Click here to read the full article. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A sprawling California ranch long owned by the late financier and racehorse breeder Jed Cohen has just popped…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":99720,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[54441,7,9,8,54442,1647,54436,54437,54438,54440,42010,54439],"class_list":["post-99719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-bill-mcdavid","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-cohen-family","tag-downtown-los-angeles","tag-hall-and-hall","tag-lake-piru","tag-margot-robbie","tag-robb-report","tag-rural-community","tag-war-of-the-worlds"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99719"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99719\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}