Historic 964-acre, ocean-view ranch along California coast sold for $5.9M. Take look

A historic ranch with ocean views on the coast in San Luis Obispo County has sold for the first time in 100 years, according to California Outdoors Properties.

A Houston, Texas, family bought the San Geronimo Ocean View Ranch in Cayucos, a property spanning 964 acres of rolling grass-covered hills off Highway 1, for $5.9 million, according to a representative of California Outdoor Properties. It was listed a little over a year ago for $6.25 million. The deal closed July 27, 2022.

The family plans to build a new house, grow orchids and use the property for vacation and business, the representative said.

The ranch had been in the Maino family since 1915. The property has a conservation easement that restricts new development and keeps the land rural. The protections allow for building a new home as long as it’s not located on the bluffs or along the highway.

There’s an old, modest and “functional” home on the property now, according to California Outdoor Properties, along with barns and outbuildings.

The land provides a backdrop for Estero Bay and the city of Cayucos.

“It’s beautiful land,” listing agent Todd Renfrew of California Outdoor Properties told the Sacramento Bee in a previous article. “It’s right in front of (Estero Bay State Park) so nobody can build in front of you.”

Renfrew told The Bee there was plenty of interest in the property, mostly because of the ocean views, the popularity of the Central Coast and the proximity to Pismo Beach, Cambria and other seaside towns.

For generations, the family has used the land as an agricultural ranch.

Historically, the ranch was used for dairy cattle, according the California Outdoors Properties listing, with about 100 milking cows. It was being used recently as a beef cattle operation.

The previous owner leased out the ranch to run 200 to 300 steers for the grazing season.

Water on the ranch comes from a well and several creeks, including San Geronimo Creek that winds through the land and empties into the sea. The ranch is home to an abundance of habitat and riparian areas.