Highlands Ranch, Colorado

Highlands Ranch is an unincorporated community in and governed by Douglas County, Colorado, United States. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined the community as a census-designated place (CDP) as a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of the Highlands Ranch CDP was 105,631 at the 2020 census, making it the largest community in Douglas County and the most populous unincorporated community in Colorado. The Highlands Ranch Metropolitan District provides services to the community, which lies in ZIP Codes 80126, 80129, 80130, and 80163 (for post office boxes).

Much of the Denver Metro Area began to be settled as ranch land starting in 1859, but because of a lack of water in the area, it was not permanently settled until around 1870. The first legal settler of the area was Curtis H. Field, who purchased land just on the west side of Santa Fe Drive from the U.S. government on February 25, 1870.

The Highlands Ranch Mansion (or "Castle Isabel") was built over a period of several years, from 1891 to 1904. The first owner of the house was Samuel Allan Long, who purchased a 40-acre homestead in northern Douglas County in 1884 and later expanded it to a 2,000-acre farm. By 1891 he had built a modest farmhouse on the property and called it Rotherwood after a boyhood farm. The name "Rotherwood", a reference to a boyhood farm of Long's, was found etched above the original front door that led experts to believe so. Long was a prominent innovator of dry land farming techniques in Colorado during the late 19th century.

John W. Springer bought the ranch in 1898 and built the Highlands Ranch Mansion. He built it up to a 10,000 acre ranch and farm. It was called "Castle Isabel" for a time for his second wife Isabel Patterson Springer. He began selling off parts of the ranch in 1911. The mansion underwent a renovation from 2010 to 2012 that was funded by Shea Homes.

20th century

The Colorado Gold Rush brought people to Colorado in droves during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The city of Denver, located approximately 12 miles to the north, grew considerably during this time. However, the area remained a series of farms and ranches, and many residents would visit the town of Littleton, a few miles northward, when they needed to purchase clothing, supplies, or other items.

The Springer land was bought and sold several times throughout the 1920s and 1930s. In 1937 it was bought by Lawrence C. Phipps, Jr., who used it to raise cattle and hunt fox. After Phipps died in 1976, the land was bought by Marvin Davis, the owner of an oil company.

Becoming a suburb

In 1978, a large parcel of land in unincorporated Douglas County was purchased by The Mission Viejo Company. As the suburbs of Denver expanded, the company desired to build a new planned suburb, called Highlands Ranch, in northern Douglas County, akin to its first planned development of Mission Viejo, California. Initial plans were drawn up, many of which are still being realized. These plans laid out several major streets and called for several schools and recreation centers, as well as a town center and public library. Large parcels of land were sold to private housing developers, such as Richmond Homes. As these developments appeared, they often carried their own names, creating a series of segmented neighborhoods throughout Highlands Ranch. Plans for Highlands Ranch also included a snaking "green belt" which provided for undeveloped land for recreation. The plans also allowed for a large number of public parks and bike paths.

The first homes in Highlands Ranch were built in 1981, near South Broadway. Simultaneously, the state built a new freeway through the area, C-470, which opened in 1985 and was expanded to include express lanes in 2020. Many of the first residents of Highlands Ranch complained about the initial lack of commercial development. Residents had to drive many miles (usually into Littleton) for groceries, entertainment, or medical care. The first public school, Northridge Elementary, opened in 1982. The same year also saw the completion of the Northridge Recreation Center, an athletic club available to all Highlands Ranch homeowners. The first secondary school, Highlands Ranch Jr/Sr High School, opened in 1987. This institution became solely a high school, named Highlands Ranch High School, in 1991 with the building of nearby Cresthill Middle School. The first Highlands Ranch branch of Douglas County Libraries also opened in 1991, housed in a strip mall off Broadway and Springer Drive.

Recent history

Over the next 25 years, the population of Highlands Ranch increasingly expanded. Highlands Ranch celebrated its 10th anniversary in 1991 with a population of 17,000 residents. Over the next ten years, Highlands Ranch continued to develop on a large scale, and as of the 2020 census has 103,444 residents.

In 1997, The Mission Viejo Company was acquired by Shea Properties, which continued to expand the community. This included bringing a regional office of Lucent Technologies, and later in the same complex Avaya Communication, to the area. The year 2000 saw the opening of a much larger Highlands Ranch Library as well as the establishment of the Highlands Ranch Chamber of Commerce.

On December 31, 2017, a gunman opened fire at the Copper Canyon Apartment Homes, killing a police deputy, and wounded six others, including two civilians. The perpetrator was later killed by the SWAT tactical team in a shootout.

On May 7, 2019, two students opened fire at the STEM School Highlands Ranch, killing a student and injuring eight others. A senior at the time, Kendrick Castillo tackled the gunman and lost his life protecting his classmates. Following the act of heroism, Lucent Boulevard was renamed Kendrick Castillo Way, a memorial was erected in Civic Green Park, and a scholarship fund was established in his honor. The school is located near Columbine High School, where a mass shooting occurred in April 1999. Both perpetrators were taken into custody in the aftermath of the shooting.

On June 22, 2023, a severe thunderstorm produced a high end EF-1 tornado around 3:30 pm. The tornado touched down near Colorado State Highway 470 and tracked 8.36 miles through Highlands Ranch and into Lone Tree. The tornado caused extensive tree, roof and fence damage, but no injuries were reported.

Geography

Located on Colorado State Highway 470 in central Colorado, Highlands Ranch is south of downtown Denver and north-northwest of Castle Rock, the county seat.

As a suburb of Denver, Highlands Ranch is part of both the greater Denver metropolitan area and the Front Range Urban Corridor. It borders several other Denver suburbs including Littleton and Centennial to the north and Acres Green and Lone Tree to the east. In addition, Highlands Ranch borders Chatfield State Park to the west. As Highlands Ranch is a CDP, its boundaries are defined by the U.S. Census Bureau and have no legal standing.

The Highlands Ranch CDP has an area of , including of water.

Demographics

The United States Census Bureau initially defined the for the

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Highlands Ranch had a population of 103,444. The median age was 40.3 years. 26.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.4 males age 18 and over.

There were 37,411 households in Highlands Ranch, of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 64.6% were married-couple households, 11.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 19.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 82,793 || 80.0%

| Black or African American || 1,198 || 1.2%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 425 || 0.4%

| Asian || 7,404 || 7.2%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 73 || 0.1%

| Some other race || 1,912 || 1.8%

| Two or more races || 9,639 || 9.3%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 9,044 || 8.7%

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 96,713 people, 34,054 households, and 26,535 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 35,167 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 88.7% White, 5.6% Asian, 1.2% African American, 0.4% American Indian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.4% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos of any race were 7.2% of the population.

There were 34,054 households, out of which 48.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.5% were married couples living together, 3.1% had a male householder with no wife present, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.1% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84, and the average family size was 3.27. As of 2013, the median home value in the CDP was $335,900, the median selected monthly owner cost was $2,070 for housing units with a mortgage and $533 for those without, and the median gross rent was $1,504. Highlands Ranch is policed by Douglas County Sheriffs Office, with South Metro Fire Rescue providing fire protection, and all public schools are part of the Douglas County School System.

In addition, all Highlands Ranch residents are asked to sign and follow a community covenant as dictated by the Highlands Ranch Community Association or "HRCA". This covenant places firm guidelines on such issues as housing decoration, fencing, and contribution to the area's library and recreation centers. The Highlands Ranch Community Association obtains its funding through common homeowner association fees and covenant violation fines and, for this reason, is not usually recognized as a government, but rather as a local non-profit organization.

Highlands Ranch lies within Colorado's 4th U.S. Congressional District. For the purposes of representation in the Colorado General Assembly, the CDP is located in the 30th district of the Colorado Senate and the 39th and 43rd districts of the Colorado House of Representatives.

ZIP codes 80126, 80129, 80130, and 80163 – assigned by default to the adjacent City of Littleton – serve Highlands Ranch.

Mountain Vista High School
Rock Canyon High School
SkyView Academy
STEM School Highlands Ranch
ThunderRidge High School
Valor Christian High School (Private)

Middle schools

Ben Franklin Academy (Charter)
Cherry Hills Christian Middle School (Private)
Cresthill Middle School
Mountain Ridge Middle School
Platte River Academy (Charter)
Ranch View Middle School
STEM School Highlands Ranch
Skyview Academy
Rocky Heights Middle School

Elementary schools

Arma Dei Academy (Private)
Arrowwood Elementary
Acres Green Elementary
Bear Canyon Elementary
Ben Franklin Academy (Charter)
Buffalo Ridge Elementary School
Cherry Hills Christian School (Private)
Copper Mesa Elementary
Cougar Run Elementary
Coyote Creek Elementary
Eagle Ridge Elementary
Eldorado Elementary
Fox Creek Elementary
Heritage Elementary
Mile High Academy
Northridge Elementary
North Star Academy Charter School (Charter)
Platte River Academy (Charter)
Redstone Elementary
Saddle Ranch Elementary
Sand Creek Elementary
Summit View Elementary
STEM School Highlands Ranch
Stone Mountain Elementary
Timber Trail Elementary
Trailblazer Elementary
Wildcat Mountain Elementary
Sky Ridge Academy
Skyview Academy (Charter)

Notable people

Notable individuals who were born in or have lived in Highlands Ranch include actress Keri Russell, physicist William C. Davidon,

NFL All Pro Running Back Christian McCaffrey, U.S. Olympic luger Courtney Zablocki, Czech-American hockey player Milan Hejduk, and Ethan Horvath, goalkeeper for the United States National Soccer Team and Cardiff City F.C., Gavin Sawchuk, Running Back for the University of Oklahoma, and Jacob Lissek, professional and international goalkeeper.