Legendary oilman T. Boone Pickens passed away in 2019 at the age of 91. His sprawling Texas Mesa Vista Ranch was on the real estate market for even longer than that, but after five years and a few price cuts a buyer has finally been found, albeit at a somewhat eye-opening $80 million less than the property's initial asking price of $250 million.
Nestled in the Texas panhandle, Mesa Vista Ranch spreads across 65,000 acres and features a plethora of features like man-made rivers, a runway and airplane hangar, and a golf course. But the Daily Mail reports that it began as a much more modest piece of land, when Pickens purchased a tract of less than 3,000 acres in 1971, eventually building it out as the ranch of his dreams.
That includes a castle-like mansion with five bedrooms and amenities like a 30-seat movie theater and a luxurious swimming pool. But the ranch's most impressive feature is undoubtedly the natural beauty on loan from the great outdoors of Texas, and Pickens's own status as a wealthy mover and shaker contributed to it becoming something of a landmark location over the last several decades. Per the ranch's official site:
"Mesa Vista's unique combination of a pristine prairie-like environment and world-class amenities provide an unparalleled forum site for some of the nation's most influential political and business leaders to share their insights on matters critical to our times — national security, economic policy, political involvement, philanthropic investment, and energy issues."
The ranch was a true passion project for Pickens. He even managed to move the white frame house he grew up in from Oklahoma to the property. Now, TopTenRealEstateDeals reports that the ranch has been split up into two parcels for sale, both to separate businessmen in Texas. And a source tells the Daily Mail that the combined purchased price came to $170 million.
You can see Mesa Vista in its glory days in the video below, from the property's own official YouTube channel:
