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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →After losing his Malibu home in California’s 2018 Woolsey Fire, Neil Young and Daryl Hannah spent nearly six months during the pandemic at a restored 1906 lakeside cottage near Omemee, Ontario. The account offers a striking contrast between a home destroyed by fire and a historic retreat near Young’s hometown—but it does not establish that Young said the cottage made him happy, or that he lives there now.
What happened to Neil Young’s California home?
In November 2018, as fires burned across California, Young confirmed that he had lost a home. “I have lost my home before to a California fire, now another,” he said in a statement quoted by Pitchfork. The Los Angeles Times later identified the couple’s Malibu home as a loss from the Woolsey Fire.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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As Time Explodes: Live Album | $39.92 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Unplugged | $37.92 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Mirror Ball | $37.90 | Buy on Amazon |
Young also pushed back against the idea that poor forest management alone explained California’s vulnerability. In a statement quoted by The Guardian, he pointed to climate change, extreme weather and extended drought. His comments place the loss in the context of the environmental concerns he has discussed publicly, rather than presenting it as a simple change of address.
Where was the Ontario cottage?
The later retreat was a lakeside cottage near Omemee, Ontario, close to the town where Young grew up. Realtor.com reports that Young and Hannah restored the property, which dates to 1906, and winterized it before spending almost six months there during the pandemic. That account is based on remarks attributed to a post on Young’s website; the original post is not available in the cited reporting, so the details are best understood as Realtor.com’s account.
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Realtor.com reproduces Young’s description of the cottage as “a 116-year-old wooden beauty” and quotes him saying they “stayed almost six months there in Canada near my hometown, where I first had started to go to school.” The age was accurate to the time of that statement, not a current age: a building dated to 1906 is 120 years old in 2026, depending on whether its birthday has passed.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Did the cottage make Neil Young happy?
The headline’s suggestion of happiness is an interpretation, not a documented statement by Young about the cottage. The reporting supports a more specific story: after the Malibu loss, he and Hannah restored and winterized a historic place near his hometown, then stayed there for much of a pandemic-era period.
Rank #2
- UNPLUGGED originally released in 1993, was first recorded for an MTV Unplugged concert, along with additional live recordings. Young thoughtfully assembled a group of musicians he had recorded with over the years for this special aggregation that quickly became a collector's item as tapes were first shared from the show among his fans. The official live album is considered an acoustic one-of-a-kind release from Young’s 90’s canon.
In a 2022 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Young said, “Oh yeah — I feel a lot of hope.” The exchange concerned the outlook of his music and environmental worries, not the Ontario cottage. The interview also said he had not lived in Malibu since the 2018 fire; it did not establish his current home or whether he later returned to the cottage.
Quick Recap
Rank #3
- MIRROR BALLis Neil Young’s 23rd studio album, and when it was released in 1995 it became an instant classic in Young’s catalog. Notably, it was recorded with Neil and Pearl Jam's rhythm section. The album has been remastered from the original analog masters and includes the tracks“Song X,”and“I’m The Ocean”. Four of the tracks have been remixed from analog tapes byJohn Hanlon, as the originals were from digital mixes("I'm The Ocean", "Big Green Country", "Truth Be Known", "Throw Your Hatred Down")
What the story establishes—and what it doesn’t
- Established in the cited reporting: Young lost a California home in 2018; the Los Angeles Times identifies the couple’s Malibu home as destroyed in the Woolsey Fire. Realtor.com reports a restored 1906 cottage near Omemee, winterization, and a stay of almost six months during the pandemic.
- Not established: that the cottage is Young’s present-day residence, his only or primary home, or a place he publicly credited with making him happy.
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