Reagan
Ranch Center
217 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
888-USA-1776
reaganranch.yaf.org
We're bringing the ranch to Santa Barbara, CA. We're showing the
history of the property and highlighting the legacy and
accomplishments of Ronald Reagan.
~Andrew Coffin, Acting Director, Reagan Ranch
Center
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
From the
first day we saw it, Rancho del Cielo cast a spell over us. No place
before or since has ever given Nancy and me the joy and serenity it
does. ~ Ronald
Reagan
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.
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