Reagan Ranch Center

Reagan Ranch Center
217 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
888-USA-1776
reaganranch.yaf.org

The Reagan Ranch Center, run by the Young America's Foundation, is a place where young and old alike can learn about Ronald Reagan and his conservative values through historical exhibits and dynamic educational programs.

Young America's Foundation Reagan Ranch Center is open for business, specifically, the business of reaching today’s young people with conservative ideas. Young America’s Foundation’s Reagan Ranch team is now occupying the Reagan Ranch Center and using this tremendous 22,000 square-foot facility in downtown Santa Barbara as a vital part of the Conservative Movement. The Center includes classrooms, a theater, meeting rooms, a library of conservative resources, Young America’s Foundation’s Reagan Ranch offices, and more. Many events for the Center are planned over the next year as they fulfill our mission to reaching increasing numbers of young Americans with the principles and ideas President Reagan so cherished.

About The Reagan Ranch

There is no better place to understand Reagan's principles, and his practical, down-to-earth manner, than at Rancho del Cielo, the "Ranch in the Sky." A much needed counterpoint to the constant buzz of Washington, D.C., Rancho del Cielo conveys the true spirit of Reagan. If you want to understand Ronald Reagan, says former First Lady Nancy Reagan, then go to the Ranch.

Just as Monticello and Mount Vernon convey the distinctive personalities of Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, Rancho del Cielo uniquely communicates much about Ronald Reagan that could not be readily gleaned from other sources. The very essence of his character is found here at the Ranch—his humility, his idealism, his diligence and hard work. Since Reagan built much of the Ranch himself, The Washington Post called it the "place to see the hand of the man" and "a true national treasure."

The Reagans purchased the 688-acre ranch in 1974, shortly before Reagan completed his second term as governor of California. The Ranch, overlooking the Santa Ynez Valley and the Pacific Ocean, reflects the endless vistas of freedom and possibility that Reagan considered the fundamental elements of the American experience. At the same time, the Reagans viewed the Ranch as a private retreat—a haven from the frenzy of public life. There, in a setting both rugged and pastoral, they could spend time alone or with family and friends.

Visitors to the Ranch have been deeply moved by the property. After a private tour, Pat Perrot of Northridge, California, wrote, "All five of us in our party have traveled widely throughout the world but none of us remember visiting any place that had such an enormous impact on our hearts and spirits as President Reagan’s beloved ranch. . . From the time [we] spotted his home nestled in that magnificent valley, we were overwhelmed by the sense of presence of that great man."

Young America's Foundation stepped in to save President Reagan's Western White House in the spring of 1998 to preserve it as a living monument to Reagan's lasting accomplishments and to make it the centerpiece of the student programs. President Reagan committed himself to reaching young people with his ideas—a goal that is also central to the Foundation's mission. Preserving the Ranch and passing on the President's values and ideas is Young America's Foundation's way of thanking Ronald Reagan for all he did for our country and the world. Today, Rancho del Cielo is a place of learning, a place of encouragement, a place of inspiration for generations to come.