Over 40 Years Ago, Clint Eastwood Began Buying up 2,000 Acres Overlooking the Pacific. Today, 85% of It Is Still Wild and Protected

Colson ThayerSat, October 10, 2026 at 12:40 PM UTC

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Credit: Michael Kovac/Getty; Getty -

Clint Eastwood began accumulating property near Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif. four decades ago

Today, the property measures over 2,000 acres, but 85% remains protected and open for wildlife

Eastwood also preserved the historic Mission Ranch, which now operates as a hotel and restaurant

Clint Eastwood could have built anything he wanted on more than 2,000 acres of oceanfront California real estate. Instead, the actor and filmmaker, 96, decided to leave almost all of it alone. Over four decades later, 85% of the coastal haven remains protected.

The San Francisco Bay Area native was first drawn to the land, located high above Monterey Bay on California’s Central Coast, more than seven decades ago. In 1951, he was drafted into the army and stationed at Fort Ord, which overlooked the bay and Carmel-by-the-Sea.

“I always liked Carmel,” The Good, the Bad and the Ugly star told the Land Report in 2007. “I thought if I could ever afford to or figure out how to make a living there, I might like to live there.”

He was eventually able to afford a “little house as a weekend retreat,” which would be the first of many investments in the property. After relocating there permanently, in 1986 he went on to save a nearby 22-acre property that housed Mission Ranch, the site of one of the state’s first dairies. When he acquired the property he publicly announced his intentions to “do the best I can to keep it like it is.” The ranch is now a thriving hotel and restaurant.

“People like me are looking for a place where they can have a quiet life and yet still be close to things. Me? I like elbow room,” Eastwood told the Land Report.

Clint Eastwood at his Mission Ranch Inn in Carmel, Calif.Credit: Axel Koester/Corbis via Getty

His commitment to the community even extended to a brief stint as mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea from 1986 to 1988. During his term, Eastwood connected with Alan Williams and later hired him as a consultant. They came together to develop Teháma, a private residential retreat making use of the actor’s more than 2,000 accumulated acres.

Clint Eastwood gives a press conference after being elected mayor of Carmel, California on April 9, 1986.Credit: Bob LARSON / AFP via Getty

Williams told the Hollywood Reporterin 2019, “[Clint’s] goal was to create enough development and economic value that it would become self-sustaining and people would take care of it.”

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Teháma was divided into 90 residential plots, and according to its website, only five remain on the market today. The homesites range from five to 18 acres and are listed between $2.5 and $3.75 million.

Clint Eastwood in Carmel, Calif. in 1978.Credit: Nik Wheeler/Corbis via Getty

But the homes, infrastructure, golf course and community amenities only occupy about 300 acres. The remaining 85% of the land remains open to native flora and fauna.

“It’s been amazing how the wild turkeys have done. The deer multiple like crazy. They’ve become much less skittish. Just hanging around for free food. There’s a lot of wildlife there, especially since we’ve put in the golf club,” Eastwood told the Land Report.

He added: “We did it all with native grasses. The only thing we seeded was the greens… We didn’t cut a lot of trees. We moved a few around: 200- and 300-year-old oaks. Slide them 25 yards over. The trees are very healthy up there. Much younger.”

Clint Eastwood poses for a portrait at home in Pebble Beach, Carmel, Calif. in 1978Credit: Nik Wheeler/Corbis via Getty

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“We thought someone might take the land and turn it into a much more congested area or just not take care of it,” Eastwood said. “I thought, someday people are going to want some privacy and they’ll get tired of living crammed next to each other. And that’s really it.”

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”