Meet America’s top 10 land barons, who collectively own more than 13 million acres across the country
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The 10 biggest landowners in the United States collectively own more than 13 million acres across the country — that’s more than 0.5% of America.
Some of them are heirs who inherited land owned by their ancestors as early as the 1800s. Others are self-made millionaires who ventured into land acquisitions and have been racking up acres for years.
The Land Report compiled a list of the 100 largest landowners in the country in 2016 — here are the 10 families or individuals who topped the list.
10. Pingree Heirs — 830,000 acres
The Pingree heirs are comprised of the fifth, sixth, and seventh generations of the Pingree family, descended from Salem shipping merchant David Pingree. They own landholdings across Maine, which are managed by the Seven Islands Land Company.
9. King Ranch Heirs — 911,215 acres
The sprawling King Ranch was first assembled in the 1800s by Henry King, a former indentured servant who went on to earn a fortune as a steamboat captain, according to Forbes. The land now crosses four counties in Texas and Florida, and includes ranching, hunting, farming, and oil and gas operations.
8. Brad Kelley — 1 million acres
The famously media-shy Brad Kelley finally confirmed to The Wall Street Journal last year that he owns roughly 1 million acres — mostly in west Texas, but also in Florida, Hawaii, Tennessee, and Kentucky. In 2012, Kelley bought the 800-acre Calumet Farm in Kentucky for $36 million, where he now bases his horse-racing operations.
"I grew up on a farm and that's about as good an explanation as there is," he told the Journal when asked about his land acquisitions. "Land is something I know. It's something I have an affinity for. It becomes part of your DNA."
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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