Highlands Ranch
The metro's largest master-planned community: four recreation centers, 70 miles of trails and a backcountry.
Pricing trends
Highlands Ranch prices slightly above the metro median for detached homes, with the Backcountry and the newer custom sections at the top and 1980s ranches in the northern sections and townhomes offering the entry points. The community-level table below carries the current numbers.
| Highlands Ranch, August 2026 | Median price | Homes sold | Days on market | Active listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single Family | $750,000+3.4% vs August 2025 | 63 | 45average days | 122 |
| Townhome / condo | $500,000−3.5% vs August 2025 | 12 | 38average days | 58 |
Citywide figures for Highlands Ranch. Source: Local Market Update, August 2026, REcolorado data compiled by the Colorado Association of REALTORS®. Neighborhood-level figures vary; ask me for comparables on any specific home. See all area tables.
About Highlands Ranch
Highlands Ranch is the planned community south of C-470 that grew from open ranchland in 1981 to a community of about 100,000 people. Its community association runs four recreation centers and an 8,200-acre backcountry wilderness area, its schools are among Douglas County's strongest, and its neighborhoods are organized enough that buyers usually shop by section and builder. It is the south metro's default family address.
Location
Highlands Ranch sits in unincorporated Douglas County between C-470 and the Chatfield and Daniels Park open space, from Santa Fe Drive east to Interstate 25, with Littleton to the north, Lone Tree to the east and Castle Pines to the south. Santa Fe, University Boulevard and I-25 are the routes to the city; the Mineral and Lincoln stations are the nearest rail.
History and background
Where it sits. Highlands Ranch is an unincorporated community in Douglas County about 13 miles south of downtown Denver, reached by C-470, with Littleton and Centennial to the north and Lone Tree to the east.
Long before the suburb, this was ranch country. Rufus 'Potato' Clark filed a homestead here in 1859 and became known as the Potato King of Colorado. The stone mansion on the ranch changed hands again and again, and nearly every owner gave it a new name, from Rotherwood to Castle Isabelle to Sunland Ranch and Diamond K Ranch, before the Phipps family named it Highlands Ranch in the 1930's.
In the late 1970's the Mission Viejo Company bought about 22,000 acres with a plan for a master-planned community, with schools, four recreation centers and lots of open space. The first families moved in in 1981.
Highlands Ranch never became its own city. It is run by a metro district and a community association, and is the most populous unincorporated community in Colorado.
Why people like it. People like Highlands Ranch for its four recreation centers, parks and open space, and the historic Highlands Ranch Mansion.
Fun fact. NFL running back Christian McCaffrey and NHL forward Milan Hejduk have both lived in Highlands Ranch.
Market snapshot, August 2026
| Home type | Median price | Homes sold | Days on market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single Family | $750,000 | 63 | 45 |
| Townhome / condo (small sample) | $500,000 | 12 | 38 |
Sources and caveats for this history
Housing and architecture
The housing is 1980s to 2010s single-family homes from production builders, ranging from 1980s ranches and two-stories in Northridge and Eastridge to 1990s and 2000s homes in Westridge, Southridge and the Backcountry, where the newest and largest custom homes sit against the open space. Townhomes and condominiums are concentrated near the Town Center, University and the recreation centers. Nearly all homes belong to the Highlands Ranch Community Association.
Parks and recreation
The association's four recreation centers include pools, gyms, climbing walls and ice. More than 70 miles of trails connect the neighborhoods to the Highline Canal, the Backcountry Wilderness Area, Daniels Park with its bison herd and Chatfield State Park. Redstone Park and the Highlands Ranch Mansion's grounds are the community's event spaces.
Dining, shopping and daily life
The Highlands Ranch Town Center holds restaurants, shops and the library, with more along University Boulevard, Lucent Boulevard and County Line Road. Park Meadows mall is minutes east in Lone Tree, UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital is inside the community, and the Douglas County School District runs the public schools.
Nearby
Other nearby communities
Douglas and Elbert Counties Lone Tree Park Meadows, the end of the light rail line, golf-course neighborhoods and the newest homes at RidgeGate. 
South Central Littleton A real downtown on Main Street, the Platte River trails, and neighborhoods from Victorian to brand new. 
Douglas and Elbert Counties Castle Pines and Castle Pines Village Pine-covered ridges between Lone Tree and Castle Rock, with gated golf communities and newer family neighborhoods. 
Douglas and Elbert Counties Castle Rock The county seat under its namesake butte, with a historic downtown, the outlets and the metro's fastest-growing new neighborhoods. 
Douglas and Elbert Counties Elizabeth and Elbert County Acreage, pines and quiet, forty minutes from the Tech Center. 
Douglas and Elbert Counties Parker A western main street, Cherry Creek's trail, and new neighborhoods spreading across the Douglas County hills. Let’s talk about Highlands Ranch
Tell me what you are looking for in Highlands Ranch
Share your timing and what matters most, and I will come back with homes, comparables and an honest read on the market.
Geoffry Kaatz
Real Estate Consultant and Licensed Realtor
303-517-9671
geoffry.kaatz@compass.com
200 Columbine St, Suite 500
Denver, CO 80206