102,000 PEOPLE, NO MAYOR
Highlands Ranch
One of the most populous unincorporated communities in the country. No city hall, no mayor and no city council, just a homeowners association that runs four recreation centers and decides what color you can paint your fence.
The Mission Viejo Company bought the land in 1978, planning a Colorado version of the California community that shares its name. The first houses went up in 1981 near South Broadway, and by the community’s tenth anniversary in 1991 it already had 17,000 residents. The 2020 Census put the number at 103,444, which makes Highlands Ranch one of the largest unincorporated communities in the entire country. C-470 opened in 1985 and is still the road most residents build their commute around.
No mayor, no city council
Here is the part that surprises people who move here from an actual town. Highlands Ranch has never incorporated. There is no mayor, no city council and no municipal police force. Instead, the Highlands Ranch Community Association, one of the largest master-planned HOAs in Colorado, sets the covenants that govern paint colors, fences and landscaping, and it operates four recreation centers (Southridge, Northridge, Westridge and Eastridge) that function as the community’s real civic centers. Douglas County provides the rest: sheriff’s patrols, roads and courts. If you’re used to city hall handling these things, budget some time to understand how HRCA dues and covenant enforcement actually work before you write an offer. I walk every buyer through it.
The land itself has an older story than the subdivision does. Before Mission Viejo bought it, the property held a working cattle ranch built up around an 1891 farmhouse, later expanded into a substantial operation under rancher John W. Springer. Part of that history survives as the Highlands Ranch Mansion, restored between 2010 and 2012 and still standing near the community’s original headquarters, now used for events and tours.
Highlands Ranch highlights
- No city government
Run by the Highlands Ranch Community Association and Douglas County, not a mayor or council - 103,444 residents
One of the most populous unincorporated communities in the United States (2020 Census) - Four HRCA rec centers
Southridge, Northridge, Westridge and Eastridge, included with your HOA dues - The Backcountry
A large wilderness open space woven directly into the neighborhoods on the community’s southern edge - Highlands Ranch Mansion
An 1891 ranch house, restored 2010-2012, from the cattle operation that predated the subdivision
“There is no mayor of Highlands Ranch. There is an HOA board, four rec centers and 103,000 people who signed the same covenants when they bought in.”
Douglas County
Discover Highlands Ranch
Local spots worth knowing
Southridge Recreation Center
One of four HRCA rec centers, with pools, fitness space and programming included in HOA dues.
The Backcountry Wilderness Area
Protected open space bordering the Backcountry neighborhood, with trailheads a short walk from home.
Highlands Ranch Mansion
The restored 1891 ranch house, open for tours and events on the community’s original headquarters site.
Civic Green Park
An amphitheater, farmers market and the closest thing Highlands Ranch has to a town square.
University of Colorado South Denver
A CU campus serving the south metro area without a drive to Boulder or downtown.
C-470
Opened in 1985 and still the corridor most residents commute on toward Denver or the foothills.
Who buys in Highlands Ranch
Highlands Ranch draws buyers who want the amenities of a planned community and are comfortable letting an HOA set the rules in exchange for that consistency.
Families who want the rec centers
Buyers for whom four pools, gyms and youth programs included in HOA dues outweigh the cost of the dues themselves.
Denver move-up buyers
People who want more square footage and a bigger yard than a comparable budget buys inside Denver proper.
Buyers who value predictability
People who want every street to look maintained ten years from now and are fine trading design freedom for that.
New construction in Highlands Ranch
Highlands Ranch is largely built out. What new construction exists is mostly infill and the last remaining phases near its edges, so buyers wanting brand-new inventory usually end up looking a bit further south into Douglas County. I can show you what’s still being built here alongside what’s available nearby.
Interested in Highlands Ranch?
Let’s talk through which of the four rec center zones fits your family, what the HOA covenants actually restrict, and what’s on the market right now.