Highlands Ranch is an affordable master planned community outside of Denver, Colorado.

With nearly 20 parks, over 2,000 miles of open space, and about 60 miles of walking, horseback riding, and biking trails, Highlands Ranch is attractive to those who love to be outside. Highlands Ranch also has two skate parks for skateboarding, biking and inline skating. There are ice hockey rinks, many public tennis courts, several baseball fields, an outdoor amphitheater, four beautiful gardens and a tranquil park around the historic original Highlands Ranch mansion house.

Several golf courses provide locals and guests with top golfing in a beautiful setting, and there are several superb parks in Highlands Ranch. Many of these, particularly the Bluffs Regional Park, and the Bayou Gulch Regional Park, have stunning views of Denver and the Rocky Mountains beyond.

Founded in 1981, Highlands Ranch, Colorado is a 23,000-acre master-planned community with a population of almost 90,000 people. In fact in 1996 Highlands Ranch adorned the cover of National Geographic Magazine. Highlands Ranch continues to grow even today.  Highlands Ranch is located in Douglas County, CO.  It’s about 17 miles south of Denver and minutes away from the Denver Technical Center (DTC), Meridian Business Park, the Inverness Business Park and the Park Meadows Shopping Mall.

The first homes were offered for sale in 1981, the same year Highlands Ranch was officially founded. By 1993 the population of Highlands Ranch reached nearly 77,000 residents with nearly 25,000 homes and 3,300 apartments. By June 2006, there were almost 83,000 people living in 31,000 homes.  In 1997, the Shea Company (who was part of a consortium that built the Hoover Dam and built the foundation piers for the Golden Gate Bridge) purchased the remaining undeveloped areas of Highlands Ranch.  The estimated completion of the community is anticipated shortly after 2010 with a final population of approximately 90,000 residents and 36,700 homes.

Well governed and enforced covenant controls provide residents piece of mind, a uniform neighborhood "look" and increased appreciation consistently. General prices in Highlands Ranch homes begin around $200,000 at the low end and extend well above $1,000,000. Over the years, many builders have purchased land to develop subdivisions within North Ranch, West Ranch, East Ranch and South Ranch.  One of the latest subdivisions called BackCountry opened in September of 2007.  Home prices in BackCountry start in the $500,000's to the high and extend to the $700,000's. The extensive, elegant options list brings final purchase prices closer to $900,000 to well into the million dollar plus range.

During November of 2005 the U.S. Census Bureau concluded that Douglas County was the second-richest county in the nation with an annual median income of just over $92,000 per household. Colorado was ranked among the top 12 wealthiest states with a median income of $42,248 compared with $43,318 for the national median income. In 2007, based on MLS data, the average price of a sold home in Highlands Ranch increased 9% over the previous year. This statistic makes Highlands Ranch real estate some of the best performing in Colorado.

The local community is friendly and neighborly and residents get together to celebrate festivals and events throughout the year. Highlands Ranch Town Center is modern and convenient, and includes a major transport center for the region with links to Denver and surrounding towns.