This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
President Barack Obama, now in the last two months of his final term, is already making plans for the future. That, reportedly, includes a home in Blue California, perhaps a refuge from the rest of Trump America.While the Obama family will be sticking around in Washington so Sasha Obama can finish high school, Page Six is reporting that the family has purchased a home in the desert resort town of Rancho Mirage and a getaway home in Obama's home state of Hawaii.
Obama is not the first president to have ties to the city of Rancho Mirage. President Gerald Ford lived there until his death in 2006, and Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, and George W. Bush have all vacationed there. The Annenberg Estate (also known as Sunnylands), has served as both a vacation home for serving presidents and a host to international diplomacy. President Obama has met both Chinese president Xi Jinping and King Abdullah II of Jordan at the so-called "Camp David of the West," and earlier this year it hosted the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
And if you're a president or a rich man in America, you love golf. Rancho Mirage is home to twelve golf courses, meaning Barack will have plenty to do during his downtime in the desert.
There are no details on the house that the Obamas purchased in Rancho Mirage, but it is likely to be in the super-exclusive community known as Thunderbird Heights. The Obamas' interest in shacking up in Rancho Mirage was reported by the Desert Sun back in January, where they note that the Obamas have spent weekends in the neighborhood at the home of interior designer Michael Smith and his partner, Spanish ambassador James Costos.
Page Six is also reporting that Smith, who has decorated both the Oval Office and the White House dining room, will be handling the decor of both new homes.
