America's biggest landowners

It's been billed "The Sale of the Century," the largest sale of deeded land in the American West for 60 years: billionaire John Malone's purchase of the 453 square-mile Bell Ranch in New Mexico.

The cable-television magnate purchased the 290,100-acre ranch on Aug. 17 for an undisclosed price, according to The Land Report, which tracks big land sales. The selling Lane family initially listed the property 100 miles east of Santa Fe for $110 million, or $380 an acre, but dropped their price to $83 million by the time Malone scooped it up.

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With that purchase Malone vaulted two slots to fifth place among the largest U.S. landowners, with 1.2 million acres, mostly in Colorado and New Mexico. He passed New Mexico's Singleton family and the heirs to the fabled King Ranch in Texas, although he's got a lot of buying to do before he approaches fellow media magnate Ted Turner, who owns more than 2 million acres scattered from Florida to Wyoming.

Image: No. 1: Ted Turner

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