Why the Government Owns So Much Land in the West (Published 2016) (2024)

FAQs

Why does the federal government own so much western land? ›

Policymakers were afraid of running out of forest land, so they decided to hold on the land they had. They figured the government could manage the land better than private interests. "Then came the recognition that there were other resources that could be best managed by government," says Squires.

How did the federal government get the land? The history of federal land ownership has been largely one of divestiture and public use, not acquisition. As the United States expanded across the continent, it did so by purchasing or taking the land that became new states.

When Nevada became a state in 1864, its constitution explicitly said that the state wouldn't claim any public land that wasn't spoken for. This left the vast majority of Nevada's land in the public estate, managed by the federal government.

Nationwide, the federal government owns 27.4% of all land area. There are significant variations regionally; the federal government owns 61.3% of the land area in Alaska, 46.4% of the land area in the 11 contiguous Western states; and 4.2% of the land area of other states.

An overview of federal land policy and how federal land is managed can be accessed here. The federal government owns around 620 million acres of land (about 27 percent) of the 2.27 billion acres of land in the United States.

Who owns the most land in the U.S.? While not private landowners, the U.S. federal government owns about 640 million acres of land, which is 28% of the land in the country. Out of all of the states, Nevada has the highest percentage of federally owned land.

The 2022 Land Report 100, compiled each year by The Land Report magazine, released its annual list of landowners who own the most acres in the United States. The nation's largest private landowners are the Emmerson family in California who own over 2.4 million acres.

The federal government's power of eminent domain has long been used in the United States to acquire property for public use.

California's state government owns less than 3% of the state's total land area, according to data compiled by the Cal Fire, the state's fire protection and forest management agency.

The state with the highest percentage of federal land is Nevada, of which 80.1%, or 56,262,610 acres of its total landmass is federally managed.

Is the federal government supposed to own land? ›

The U.S. Federal government can and does own land/property for governmental use and/or purposes. The General Services Administration (GSA), sometimes referred to as the “Government's Landlord,” was established by section 101 of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (40 U.S.C.

The BLM holds the coal mineral estate to more than 570 million acres (2,300,000 km²) where the owner of the surface is the federal government, a state or local government, or a private entity.

In Alabama, 880,188 acres of the state are considered federal land. Alaska is the state with the most federal land, with a whopping 222,666,580 acres under its belt. Arizona has 28,077,992 acres of federally owned land.

Federal land is managed for many purposes, such as the conservation and development of natural resources, grazing and recreation. The federal government owns 47.70 percent of California's total land, 47,797,533 acres out of 100,206,720 total acres. California ranked third in the nation in federal land ownership.

In 2018, the number of foreign-owned acres crested 30 million and in 2021 foreign entities owned just over 40 million acres of U.S. agricultural land. On the other hand, in 2011, 1.26 billion acres of agricultural land was domestically owned, and in 2021, that number was 1.25 billion acres.

New Estimates of Value of Land of the United States (PDF)

Estimates suggest that this 1.89 billion acres of land are collectively worth approximately $23 trillion in 2009 (current prices), with 24% of the land area and $1.8 trillion of the value held by the federal government.

Unclaimed by any country, the Bir Tawil stands alone as terra nullius. On the border of Egypt and Sudan lies one of history's most peculiar regions. Bigger than London and New York, this patch of desert has presented a problem for international lawmakers for over sixty years.

Who owns the most US agricultural land? ›

China owns roughly 384,000 acres of U.S. agricultural land, according to a 2021 report from the Department of Agriculture. Of that, 195,000 acres, worth almost $2 billion when purchased, are owned by 85 Chinese investors, which could be individuals, companies or the government.

Some of the world's biggest billionaires are landowners, such as media mogul Ted Turner who owns 2 million acres, Amazon.com's AMZN, -0.66% CEO Jeff Bezos who has amassed 420,000 acres and Microsoft MSFT, +0.47% co-founder Bill Gates's 270,000 acres, he notes.

Approximately 27.1% of land in Florida is owned by the federal government, leaving 72.9% of Florida's land to private ownership. The Bureau of Land Management oversees the largest portion of federally owned land in Florida at 39.7%.

John Malone is the largest private landowner in the United States. Malone made his fortune as a media tycoon, building the company Tele-Communications, Inc, or TCI, and acting as its CEO before selling it to AT&T for $50 billion in 1999.

Terra nullius (/ˈtɛrə nʌˈlaɪəs/, plural terrae nullius) is a Latin expression meaning "nobody's land". It was a principle sometimes used in international law to justify claims that territory may be acquired by a state's occupation of it.

A: The answer is yes. Lands identified as excess to the Federal Government's needs or more suited to private ownership are sometimes offered for sale. The Federal Government has two major property categories which it makes available for sale: real property and public land.

Under a ground lease, tenants own their building, but not the land it's built on. Since this is a lesser-known type of leasing structure, here's a primer on ground leases for real estate investors.

Agriculture is one of the prominent elements of the state's economy: California leads the nation in the production of fruits, vegetables, wines and nuts. The state's most valuable crops are cannabis, nuts, grapes, cotton, flowers, and oranges. California produces the major share of U.S. domestic wine.

Coastal exploration by the Spanish began in the 16th century, with further European settlement along the coast and in the inland valleys following in the 18th century. California was part of New Spain until that kingdom dissolved in 1821, becoming part of Mexico until the Mexican–American War (1846–1848), when it was ...

Overall, in the calendar year 2022, the United States' Nominal GDP at Current Prices totaled at $25.463 Trillion, as compared to $23.315 Trillion in 2021. The three U.S. states with the highest GDPs were California ($3.6 Trillion), Texas ($2.356 Trillion), and New York ($2.053 Trillion).

What state has the most protected land? ›

Which States Have the Most State Parks? California has the most state parks in the country, with 270. There are a total of 3,729 state parks in the United States, with 11 states having more than 100 state parks each.

The best states for farmland in the US include Montana, Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, North Dakota, Texas, Iowa, Kentucky, Wyoming, and California. Consider factors like profitability, cost of operation, infrastructure, and availability when selecting a location.

Land that is not owned by the federal government may be owned by state or local governments, but much of the remaining land is privately-owned land. Privately-owned land is defined as land owned by an individual or group that is kept for their exclusive use. Privately-owned land is where many Americans live.

Private individuals and corporations own about 60 percent of U.S. land while Federal, State, and local governments own the rest.

The BLM further subdivides its holdings into four primary categories: (a) Public Lands, (b) Developed Recreation Areas, (c) Wilderness Areas, and (d) Conservation Lands. All four are open for camping, but each comes with its own unique rules and limitations.

In fiscal year 2019, the diverse activities authorized on BLM-managed lands generated $111 billion in economic output across the country. This economic activity supported nearly 498,000 jobs and contributed substantial revenue to the U.S. Treasury and state governments, mostly through royalties on minerals.

Federal Government — 45.5 Million Acres

They qualify as one of the top landowners in California, considering they own almost half the land in the state! California is lucky to have many National Park Service units, monuments, forests, and other outdoor sites.

BLM was established on July 16, 1946, when the General Land Office and the U.S. Grazing Service were merged. More than 70 years later, it remains a small agency with a big job -- managing public lands for multiple-uses like recreation and natural resource development for the benefit of present and future generations.

Permanently inhabited territories. The U.S. has five permanently inhabited territories: Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands in the North Pacific Ocean, and American Samoa in the South Pacific Ocean.

Who owns the most land out west? ›

1. EMMERSON FAMILY. The nation's largest private landowners, California's Emmerson family, are a prime example of this trend. Through their Sierra Pacific Industries, the Emmersons increased their landholdings by more than 100 square miles to over 2.4 million acres.

According to the Congressional Research Service, the U.S. government owns nearly half the land in the 11 coterminous western states, as well as more than 60 percent of Alaska. But in the rest of the country, only 4 percent of the land is federally held.

Nationally, an average 16.7% of large US cities' land area is considered vacant, with approximately 4% of city addresses unoccupied. The ratio of vacant land to city size has increased by 1.3 percentage points since 1998 but decreased by 3 percentage points since 1963.

California by the numbers

In fact, the U.S. government owns nearly half of all land in the West. This is partly due to the fact that a lot of the territory in the western United States is either mountainous or dry and infertile, and wasn't readily snatched up by homesteaders.

Protecting Land

Over 95% of the land in Texas is privately owned. This creates a unique challenge for Texans, as conservation becomes the responsibility of private landowners.

Today, Nevada contains forty-eight million acres of public land, amounting to 63 percent of the state, managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Federal land is managed for many purposes, such as the conservation and development of natural resources, grazing and recreation. The federal government owns 48.19 percent of Wyoming's total land, 30,043,512 acres out of 62,343,040 total acres. Wyoming ranked eighth in the nation in federal land ownership.

The U.S.-Mexico border spans 2,000 miles. One-third of the land is owned by the federal government or by Native American tribes. 13 States and private property owners own the rest.

The nation's largest private landowners are the Emmerson family in California who own over 2.4 million acres. The bulk of that land is dedicated to timber in Northern California. But the most headline-worthy transaction of 2022 was the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas.

1. EMMERSON FAMILY. The nation's largest private landowners, California's Emmerson family, are a prime example of this trend. Through their Sierra Pacific Industries, the Emmersons increased their landholdings by more than 100 square miles to over 2.4 million acres.

Which states owe the most federal money? ›

Known as the Irma Lake Lodge, the property was settled by Buffalo Bill himself, in 1902. It now has a 15,000-square-foot ranch house and many other buildings on its 492 acres, including Buffalo Bill's modest three room cabin. The property is at the end of private road, seven miles long, 20 miles from Cody.

Stan Kroenke — 560,000 Acres

Billionaire Stan Kroenke owns 560,000 acres of land in Wyoming. This is the largest ranch in the Rocky Mountains and sits near Medicine Bow.

The Property Clause of the United States Constitution gives Congress the authority to make and enforce all necessary rules and regulations to protect federal property, including property that is held in proprietary jurisdiction status.

Q: Does the Federal Government ever sell public land? A: The answer is yes. Lands identified as excess to the Federal Government's needs or more suited to private ownership are sometimes offered for sale.

In spite of the massive quantity of federal land in Alaska, it is not the state with the highest percentage of federal acreage within a state. The state with the highest percentage of federal land is Nevada, of which 80.1%, or 56,262,610 acres of its total landmass is federally managed.

Federal Land, Inc. is a member of GT Capital Holdings and a proud partner of the Metrobank Group.