Rancho Temescal, the 5,600-acre ranch seen in War of the Worlds, just hit the market for $44 million

Rancho Temescal has long been one of those locations you recognize on screen before you ever learn its name, a sweep of Southern California hills that has doubled as everything from alien-invaded farmland to vintage Hollywood backlots. Now the working ranch, which spans roughly 5,600 acres and has appeared in films like “War of the Worlds” and “Babylon,” is being offered to you and other buyers for a headline-grabbing $44 million. The listing gives you a rare chance to own a piece of both Western ranching history and modern movie lore, wrapped into a single, sprawling property.

Set in the foothills northwest of Los Angeles, the ranch combines commercial-scale agriculture, equestrian operations, and a ready-made filming destination in one contiguous holding. If you are weighing trophy properties, production assets, or long-term land plays, Rancho Temescal’s size, location, and cinematic track record make it a singular entry on the current market.

The blockbuster listing that put Rancho Temescal in the spotlight

You are not just looking at another luxury spread when you consider Rancho Temescal, you are looking at a working 5,600-Acre operation that has officially hit the market at $44 M. The ranch is being marketed at $44 Million as a complete package, a price that reflects both its scale and its established role as a production-ready landscape that has already earned its place in Hollywood history. That figure positions the property at the very top of the regional ranch market, in line with the kind of premium you would expect for a location that has already starred in major studio projects.

Marketing materials describe Rancho Temescal as a 5,600-acre estate in the Topatopa foothills, set roughly an hour northwest of Downtown Los Angeles, which puts you within reach of the city’s studios while still feeling fully rural. The listing frames it as a Working Acre Ranch Hits the Market opportunity, emphasizing that you are buying an ongoing enterprise rather than a passive land bank. For a buyer who wants both cinematic cachet and operational substance, that combination is the core of the pitch.

Where you will find it and why the setting matters

Location is the first thing you weigh with any ranch, and Rancho Temescal’s geography is central to its appeal. The property sits in Ventura County near the small community of Piru, with formal materials describing it as Rancho Temescal for Sale in Piri, CA, a rural pocket that still lies within the gravitational pull of Los Angeles. That setting gives you access to the region’s deep bench of crew, talent, and vendors while preserving the open space and privacy that large-scale productions and high net worth owners typically demand.

On paper, the ranch is described as 5,620± Deeded Acres in Piru, CA, a figure that underscores just how much contiguous land you would control if you closed on the $44,000,000 offering. The property is promoted as an Iconic Ventura County Holding with Unmatched Versatility, language that reflects how the terrain shifts from valley floors to foothills and backcountry, giving you multiple visual looks within a single gate. That versatility is a key reason the ranch has been able to host everything from period dramas to contemporary action sequences without forcing productions to leave the property.

A working landscape, not just a cinematic backdrop

As a buyer, you are not being asked to pay purely for movie nostalgia, because Rancho Temescal operates as a genuine agricultural and equestrian enterprise. The ranch is presented as a large-scale working property, with the Working 5600-Acre Ranch Hits the Market framing underscoring that it supports active land uses rather than sitting idle between shoots. That operational backbone can matter if you are looking for potential income streams, whether from grazing, hay production, or equestrian programs that can coexist with filming.

Marketing materials highlight that the ranch includes multiple residences and extensive improvements, giving you the infrastructure to support staff, guests, and production crews without having to build from scratch. The main listing invites you to Contact The Broker Download Brochure and Maps, a reminder that the property has been carefully mapped and documented for serious due diligence. For an institutional buyer or a family office, that level of detail can help you evaluate everything from water resources to road networks before you ever set foot on the land.

From “War of the Worlds” to “Babylon,” how the ranch became a star

If you are drawn to Rancho Temescal, chances are you have already seen it on screen without realizing it. The property is widely described as a California Ranch That Starred in War of the Worlds and Babylon, a shorthand for its appearances in Steven Spielberg’s alien invasion spectacle and Damien Chazelle’s period epic. Those credits give the ranch a kind of built-in brand recognition, reassuring you that directors and location scouts have already vetted its vistas for some of the most demanding shoots in recent memory.

Coverage of the listing notes that the ranch has been used repeatedly for film and television, with one account describing it as a sprawling California Ranch That Starred in War of the Worlds, Babylon, and even Toby Keith music videos. Another profile frames it as a California Ranch From War of the Worlds and Babylon Asks $44 Million, emphasizing that the cinematic pedigree is not a side note but a central part of the sales narrative. If you are in the production world, that track record can translate into repeat bookings, while if you are a private buyer, it simply means you own a landscape that audiences around the world already recognize.

The Cohen family era and why the property is changing hands

Behind the cameras, Rancho Temescal has been shaped by a long-running family ownership story that is now entering a new chapter. Reporting notes that The Cohen family paid $3.9 m for the property in 2000, with the purchase price listed as $3.9 million when they acquired it from Texaco. That earlier sale, which transferred the land from an energy company to private hands, set the stage for the ranch’s evolution into a diversified operation that could host both cattle and cameras.

The current decision to sell is tied to family dynamics as well as market timing. One account explains that Following Jed Cohen’s death in 2022, Tim has decided to sell the ranch, a detail that gives you context for why such a significant holding is suddenly available. Another narrative about This Ranch Featured in Hollywood Blockbusters Is For Sale notes that the property feels a little different now without him, capturing the emotional undercurrent behind a transaction that might otherwise read as purely financial. If you are evaluating the deal, it helps to understand that you are stepping into a legacy property at a moment of transition rather than a distressed or speculative sale.

What $44 million actually buys you on the ground

At $44 Million, you are entitled to ask exactly what you get beyond the name recognition, and the answer is a substantial mix of land, housing, and specialized facilities. The primary listing describes Rancho Temescal as a 5,620-acre Ventura Cou holding with multiple zones, from irrigated fields to rugged backcountry, which gives you flexibility for everything from livestock to conservation easements. Materials also highlight eight separate residences and a range of barns, arenas, and support buildings, so you can house staff, host guests, or accommodate production teams without overtaxing any single structure.

Because the ranch has been actively marketed to both real estate and entertainment circles, you see the same figures repeated across platforms, from the $44,000,000 Piru, CA 5,620 Deeded Acres description to the shorthand $44 M price tag used in film-focused coverage. A dedicated property page for Rancho Temescal for Sale in Ventura County lays out the basics for Farm and Ranch buyers, while a New Offering video presentation for Rancho Temescal positions it as an Iconic Ventura County Holding with Unmatched Versatility. Taken together, those materials give you a clear picture of a turnkey asset that can function as a private retreat, a production hub, or a hybrid of the two.

How the ranch fits into Hollywood’s location economy

If you work in film or television, Rancho Temescal’s value proposition looks different from that of a typical ranch, because you are effectively buying a pre-cleared backlot with natural light. The property has been promoted as a California Ranch From War of the Worlds and Babylon Asks 44 Million, language that signals to producers that the location is already familiar to crews and insurers. A separate feature on a California Ranch From War of the Worlds and Babylon asks $44 M notes that the ranch has become a go-to area for filming entertainment productions, which means you are stepping into an existing revenue stream rather than trying to build one from scratch.

Social media coverage amplifies that message, with one post describing a California Ranch That Starred, War of the Worlds, Babylon, Just Listed for that same $44 Million figure, effectively turning the listing itself into a piece of entertainment news. Another deep-dive profile of Rancho Temescal in the context of Celebrity Homes situates the ranch alongside high-profile residential deals, such as a separate story about Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss Just Scored a $4.2 Million Oceanfront Retreat, reinforcing the idea that this is a property that sits at the intersection of lifestyle and industry. If you are a producer, that crossover appeal can help you pitch the location to clients; if you are a private buyer, it simply underscores that you are acquiring a widely recognized asset.

What it feels like to stand on the land

Beyond the spreadsheets and credits, you still need to know what it is like to actually be on Rancho Temescal, and here the landscape does much of the talking. The ranch occupies a sweep of the Topatopa foothills, with canyons, ridgelines, and open meadows that give you long sightlines and varied backdrops within a single day’s scouting. A location overview for Rancho Temescal notes its proximity to regional landmarks and access routes, which matters if you are moving trucks and trailers in and out on tight production schedules.

Online mapping tools show the property’s footprint relative to nearby communities, with one viewer entry for the area around Rancho Temescal highlighting how the ranch sits between the coastal plain and the inland valleys. That geography helps explain why the property can convincingly stand in for Middle America in one project and a more rugged frontier in another. For you as an owner, it means you can ride out from one of the ranch’s barns in the morning, climb into higher country by midday, and be back at a residence or production basecamp by evening without ever leaving your own land.

How this listing fits into a broader luxury and entertainment market

When you place Rancho Temescal alongside other high-end properties trading hands in Southern California, the $44 Million ask starts to look like part of a broader pattern in which land, lifestyle, and media intersect. Coverage that groups the ranch with other Celebrity Homes notes that affluent buyers are increasingly drawn to properties that offer both privacy and a narrative, whether that is a California Ranch That Starred, War of the Worlds or a $4.2 M oceanfront escape. In that context, Rancho Temescal’s combination of scale, history, and screen time gives you a story to tell investors, guests, or even your own family about why this particular piece of ground matters.

At the same time, the listing reflects how the entertainment industry’s demand for flexible, all-in-one locations has turned certain ranches into quasi-infrastructure assets. A feature framed as This Ranch Featured, Hollywood Blockbusters Is For Sale makes clear that properties like Rancho Temescal are now understood as part of the region’s production toolkit, not just as private playgrounds. If you decide to pursue the acquisition, you are not only buying a spectacular stretch of Ventura County but also stepping into a role as a quiet partner in the stories that will be filmed there next.

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*This article was developed with AI-powered tools and has been carefully reviewed by our editors.