Joni Mitchell is one of the most influential and acclaimed singer-songwriters of the 20th century. Over the course of her 50+ year career, Mitchell has lived in many different places across North America. So where does the folk music legend reside today in the latter years of her life?
Joni Mitchell’s Early Life and Career
Joni Mitchell was born Roberta Joan Anderson on November 7, 1943 in Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada. She learned to play guitar and piano as a teenager and began performing folk songs in coffeehouses around Calgary under the name Joni Anderson. In 1964, at age 21, she moved to Toronto and connected with the vibrant folk music scene there. It was in Toronto that she changed her name to Joni Mitchell.
Mitchell’s career started taking off with her move to the United States in 1965. She first lived in Detroit before settling in New York City’s Greenwich Village later that year. It was in New York that she began to establish herself on the folk music circuit, performing alongside artists like Tom Rush, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Eric Andersen. She soon came to the attention of record producer David Crosby who helped land her a record deal with Reprise Records.
Mitchell released her debut album Song to a Seagull in 1968, followed by her acclaimed sophomore record Clouds in 1969. Around this time she became romantically involved with Graham Nash and briefly lived with him in Los Angeles. However, Mitchell found the city’s music scene too rigid and restrictive, so she moved back to British Columbia in early 1970.
The Matala Caves in Crete
In the summer of 1970, Mitchell traveled to Greece with Nash. She fell in love with the rugged landscapes and vibrant culture of the Mediterranean country. After splitting from Nash, Mitchell settled on the island of Crete in the village of Matala along the southern coast. She lived among a community of bohemians and artists who had taken up residence in ancient caves carved into the cliffs overlooking the sea.
This marked a major turning point in Mitchell’s life and career. The idyllic setting and exposure to traditional Greek music inspired a new creative direction. In Matala, Mitchell wrote many of the songs that would appear on her 1971 masterpiece Blue, including “Carey” and “California.” The album, which mined the depths of her personal relationships, marked a more confessional style of songwriting.
Mitchell spent nearly a year living in the Matala caves before returning to North America in 1971. Looking back on this transformative experience, she remarked in a 1979 interview:
“There was a lot of creative energy there. People were trying to rediscover a lifestyle more like the old days…It was a civilization that had not forgotten the old ways” (Rolling Stone, 1979).
Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles
Back from Greece, Mitchell settled for a short time in South Florida. But by early 1972 she decided to give Los Angeles another try. She rented a cozy little house on Lookout Mountain Avenue in Laurel Canyon, a haven for musicians and artists in the Hollywood Hills. The rustic home had previously belonged to funk musician Graham Central Station.
Mitchell’s Lookout Mountain home marked a period of stability and productivity in her career. Surrounded by the mountainous natural beauty that she loved, Mitchell wrote the bulk of her 1972 album For the Roses and began composing songs for 1974’s Court and Spark during her two years there. Both albums were a commercial breakthrough, charting in the Top 5.
Mitchell’s Laurel Canyon home also served as a gathering place for her talented circle of musician friends. Artists like David Crosby, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, Neil Young, and Robbie Robertson all lived in close proximity. Impromptu jam sessions were a common occurrence in Mitchell’s cozy living room.
However, the growing music scene and touring demands eventually took their toll. Eager for more privacy and seclusion, Mitchell left Laurel Canyon in 1974 for more rural environs further north.
Seclusion in British Columbia
In 1974, Mitchell returned to her Canadian roots by purchasing a sprawling property along the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, about a two hour drive north of Vancouver. After the constant demands of touring and recording in Los Angeles, she longed for solitude in nature.
Mitchell’s rustic home was situated on 150 acres of lush forest with stunning mountain and ocean views. Here she immersed herself in the natural beauty and isolation, often going days without seeing another person. She converted a barn on the property into a home painting studio where she pursued her passion for visual art.
This remote setting provided the perfect creative retreat. Over the next four years, Mitchell wrote the songs for 1975’s The Hissing of Summer Lawns and 1976’s Hejira while living on the Sunshine Coast property. Both albums represented a more experimental and jazzy direction in her music.
By the late 1970s, however, the extreme seclusion had taken an emotional toll. Mitchell increasingly felt the need to be closer to a community of artists and musicians. In 1979, she left her Sunshine Coast home and made another move stateside.
Return to Los Angeles
In 1979, Mitchell returned to Southern California, this time settling into a Spanish-style mansion in Bel Air. While more urban than her previous home, the hilltop property was still very private and featured a home recording studio where she produced much of her music in the 1980s.
During her second stint in L.A., Mitchell shifted her approach and began working with jazz musicians like Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Charles Mingus. This new creative direction was evident on experimental albums such as Mingus (1979) and Wild Things Run Fast (1982).
In the early 2000s, Mitchell became disillusioned with the music industry and largely retreated from public life. Her home in Bel Air continued to serve as her main residence during these years away from the spotlight.
Move to British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast
Beginning around 2005, Mitchell began splitting her time between California and Vancouver. By 2013, she decided to leave L.A. permanently and settled into a modest house she purchased on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast – in the same area as her 1970s retreat but further inland.
Now in her late 70s, Mitchell lives a quiet, modest lifestyle focused on her health and creative passions. Though she remains largely out of the public eye, she continues to create visual art in her home studio. Occasional photographs reveal easels, painting supplies, and walls covered with her vibrant abstract paintings.
Mitchell has lived through serious health issues in recent years, including an aneurysm in 2015 and a bout with Morgellons disease. However, she has made remarkable progress in her recovery. While she is unable to play guitar due to physical constraints, Mitchell continues to enjoy listening to music and observing the world around her with an artist’s eye.
Friends report that Mitchell seems content and at peace in her current home in coastal British Columbia. The Sunshine Coast community provides a tranquil setting where she can live close to nature and focus on her artistry. Though her public appearances are rare, Mitchell enjoys visits from close friends and remains an active creative force.
Summary of Joni Mitchell’s Homes
Over the course of her long and varied career, Joni Mitchell has lived in many homes across North America:
- Born in Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada in 1943
- Moved to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan as a child
- Lived in Toronto, Ontario in the mid-1960s as her music career took off
- Briefly resided in Detroit and then New York City’s Greenwich Village in the late 1960s
- Lived in Los Angeles in the late 1960s with Graham Nash
- Relocated to British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast in 1970
- Spent nearly a year living in a cave in Matala, Crete beginning in 1970
- Rented a home in Laurel Canyon from 1972-1974
- Owned a 150 acre property on the Sunshine Coast from 1974-1979
- Lived in a mansion in Bel Air, California from 1979 into the early 2000s
- Moved back to the British Columbia Sunshine Coast around 2005 where she currently resides
Now in her late 70s, Mitchell has scaled back her public life and career. But she remains active as a visual artist, splitting her time between painting in her British Columbia home and occasional visits to California.
Conclusion
Over a career spanning more than 50 years, Joni Mitchell has left an indelible mark on popular music. Her iconic songs document her journeys across North America through different stages of her life. After years of traveling and touring, Mitchell has now settled into a modest home on Canada’s tranquil Sunshine Coast.
While her days as a public performer are likely behind her, Mitchell continues to create visual art that reflects her distinctive creative vision. Friends report that she seems happy and at peace in her current residence, enjoying the quiet coastal lifestyle that suits this phase of her life.
Though her health challenges have been serious, Mitchell has proven resilient. Her move back to the Sunshine Coast community seems a fitting bookend to a life and career that has navigated changes and upheaval with remarkable grace and wisdom.