Clay Lee
Broker/Realtor®
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How Many Acres Makes a Ranch? Online Poll
June 17th, 2008 Categories: Buying Real Estate, Community Events, Land & Rural
Have you ever been to a ranch? Are you sure it was a ranch? Across the country, people call different sized parcels of land ranches. Dictionary.com says that a ranch is a place where livestock or crops are raised. If that is the case, a lot of people are using the wrong term when describing their land.
In Southern California where land is scare, people call parcels over 20 acres a ranch! In most of the populated parts of Texas, people usually start calling things over 200 acres a ranch. However, when you get into far west Texas, Ranches usually run in the thousands of acres. Forbes.com claimes that anything over 1,000 acres that is a ranch. Ranches are made famous by their owners like Ralph Lauren’s Double RL ranch in Telluride Colorado. At 2800 Acres, Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch in California is also one of the most well known. In Texas, we have many famous ranches like the Four Sixes Ranch which was named after it was won in a poker tournament with a hand of 4 sixes. The King Ranch in south Texas has become a style icon of ranching throughout the world. So my question is, how many acres do you consider a ranch to be?
Post a Reply with your answer.
For more information on ranches in Texas or any other type of real estate, feel free to contact me anytime @ rclaylee@yahoo.com
My Mom & Dad have Hasten Ranch with only 40 acres…. They have cows, horses, ponds, fish and a dog of course. So, I think a ranch is what you want it to be.
Trivia – how many square feet are in an acre? 43,560
I think it might depend on where you live. In east Texas, larger parcels of land where people live and grow crops or have livestock are typically called farms. Farther out in west Texas they are called ranches. in my opinion, the property would have to be large enough to produce income in order to be called a ranch. Of course, the amount of income can differ. For some, a few head of cattle on ten acres is enough. For others, its a few hundred head on a few thousand acres. In the end, I guess I’m saying I really don’t know!
What about the “Farm/Ranch” controversy???
Well, we’ve got 2 properties both “Ranches” but both are under a thousand acres. However, my brother in law has several huge properties in the same county that are all “Farms”. Furethermore, his biggest property (several thousand acres) they call “The Farm” however its really a huge Cattle Operation. Why not a Cattle Ranch???
Why are Horse Properties all “Farms”???
Webster cites “the production of food” in its definition of “Farm”. Horses aren’t food, but Cattle are???? Cattle Ranches or Cattle Farms???
Basically, what I’m getting at: I think it can be whatever you want it to be. except, according to webster I think Cattle Ranches should be called Cattle Farms and Horse Farms should be called Horse Ranches.
My Great Uncle that has lived in Colorado for many, many years would always tell everyone he owned a ranch in Texas. He owned about 70 acres that was always leased for cattle. So in this case, about 70 acres is a ranch. My dream ranch has at least 500 acres. Hey, don’t judge, it’s my dream ranch. Yep, it depends on who is talking.