Dawson's Creek star James Van Der Beek passed away at the age of 48 following a battle with colorectal cancer. Following his death, his widow Kim and their six children appealed for help with their living expenses by setting up a GoFundMe page, which has currently received more than $2 million in donations.
In 2020, the actor and his family left behind their home in Beverly Hills to move to a sprawling ranch in Austin, Texas – but the reasoning behind the move is incredibly poignant.
James previously lived in a two-storey Spanish colonial-inspired home in Beverly Hills, California, which featured four bedrooms, 3,134 square feet of living space, a chef's kitchen, a spa and a guesthouse. In fact, they had just renovated the property from top-to-bottom before the pandemic in 2020.
However, a series of professional and personal issues hit the family: James' mother passed away in July 2020, and his wife Kim suffered two miscarriages. Among many other reasons, including wanting to be in nature and in a smaller area to more easily form a close community with their kids, these prompted them to not only leave behind the home, but the state.
James and Kim's home was listed for rental for $12,000 per month before they left it behind, and it now has an estimated worth of $4 million, based on sales of similar properties in the area.
In September 2020, Kim took to Instagram to share that they were leaving LA behind, writing: "Sometimes a fuller life begins with an empty house. Leaving Los Angeles incredibly grateful for all the friends and memories we've made here. Onto the next big adventure!"
James Van Der Beek's Texas ranch
They ended up moving to a sprawling ranch property that is set on 36 acres in Spicewood, Texas, a rural town just outside of Austin. The new home is considerably cheaper, as Kimberly explained just after they moved.
The ranch has much more room for the children, including five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a commercial kitchen, balconies with views of the Pedernales River nearby, and a barn.
During an Instagram live session, Kim explained: "The space available in Texas … where we’re at, it’s expansive and there’s a lot of space and I feel that for a big family … it was just really, really necessary for us."
In a later session, she revealed that they were enjoying being renters, adding: "We have incredible landlords, they're magical, so they're really letting us dip into it and really steward the land as if it's our own and go wild with it. Which is really cool."
