Los Angeles has long been the It place for celebrities to settle, but in recent years, more stars have been flocking to Montecito, California—including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Located 80 miles northwest of L.A. in Santa Barbara County, the upscale enclave has become a safe haven for the rich and famous, and it’s not hard to see why.
When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made the shocking decision to exit the royal family last year, they moved first to Canada and then to the United States, where they desperately sought out a more under-the-radar life. After briefly living in Tyler Perry’s Beverly Hills mansion, the couple opted for a sprawling 7.4-acre estate, which they bought for $14.7 million in the exclusive coastal town last summer.
Prior to their move, Montecito had already been home to many celebrities, including longtime residents Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, and Rob Lowe. But since Harry and Meghan came to town, other stars have been following suit and snagging properties there as well. Keep scrolling to see who else lives in Harry and Meghan’s new neighborhood.
Oprah Winfrey
The media mogul has called Montecito home since she purchased her so-called Promised Land ranch in 2001 for a reported $50 million. Originally, the estate—which includes a 23,000-square-foot palatial neo-Georgian main house, a massive guesthouse, various other accessory buildings, and beautifully landscaped property—sprawled across more than 42 acres of land, but in recent years, she has expanded the compound with neighboring properties.
The home Winfrey purchased from Jeff Bridges.
Photo: Elevated Horizon courtesy of Coldwell Banker / Courtesy of Top Ten Real Estate DealsIn 2015, the TV host shelled out $29 million for the adjacent 23.3-acre Seamair Farm. Four years later, Winfrey bought an additional $6.85 million ranch from actor Jeff Bridges. Altogether, Promised Land is now almost a whopping 70 acres.
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi
DeGeneres and de Rossi have become known for their impressive real estate portfolio—specifically in Montecito. Since 2007, the couple has owned several houses in the area, many of which they’ve sold for profit.
The Ellen host and Arrested Development actress currently have three Montecito properties as part of their ever-growing collection. These are a $49 million Tom Kundig–designed house they purchased last year, the historic Rancho San Leandro in Montecito (which they bought for the second time in May for $7.2 million after selling it 2018), and a $2.9 million bungalow they picked up in June.