MrBeast Purchases Neighborhood For Staff To Reside In

Popular YouTuber MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, has purchased an entire North Carolina neighborhood for himself, his family, and his employees to live in. The 25-year-old YouTuber has purchased five homes on the same Greenville street in the last five years, most of them off-market, for a total of approximately $2 million. The Post reports that Donaldson purchased his own home in 2018 for $320,000, and then purchased his second property for $263,000 in 2020, followed by the remaining three for $1.45 million.

With a net worth of $54 million, Donaldson has been able to afford this extensive real estate purchase, made possible by his viral videos. His 23-hour-long video of him counting to 100,000 went viral in 2017 and has received over 28 million views to date.

His expensive stunt videos, where he does things like gift YouTubers a private jet or pay for life-changing surgeries while filming, continue to receive hundreds of millions of views, making the $2 million purchase seem like a small expense.

Donaldson’s actions are reminiscent of billionaire Elon Musk, who bought a Texas town a few years ago and turned it into a rocket launch site. In a time where U.S. home ownership is steadily declining, Donaldson’s purchase is bringing back the idea of the company town, an isolated neighborhood dedicated to industry in the late 19th century. While Donaldson’s move has received some criticism, it is clear that he is using his wealth to provide a unique opportunity for his employees to live and work in the same area.