In 1981 the first residents moved into the community
called "Highlands Ranch". As of February 2005 Highlands Ranch
is home to 81,859 residents living in 26,684 homes, and 3,305
apartment units.
In 1978 Mission the area known today as Highlands
Ranch was owned by Viejo Company. This was the time Highlands
Ranch started to exist. The Highlands Ranch master plan was created
and approved in 1979. In 1981 the first residents moved
into the area.
Highlands Ranch started growing and reached a growth of 2,500
houses per year at some point. In 1997, Shea
Homes purchased Mission Viejo and the undeveloped portions of
Highlands Ranch. Shae Homes is still in place and acts as some
sort of city government for Highlands Ranch.
Located 12 miles just south
of Denver along C-470 and approximately 1 mile west of Interstate
I-25, Highlands Ranch is a very popular neighborhood. Highlands
Ranch today offers a diverse range of housing, from condo/townhomes
to multi-story mansions.
Time-Line of Highlands Ranch Development
1978: Mission Viejo Co. develops plans for the
Highlands Ranch property for development.
1980: Construction
of the first phase of Highlands Ranch begins.
1981: The first residents are moving in
1982: Northridge Park, Northridge
Recreation Center and Northridge Elementary open. The community's
first businesses open.
1987: Highlands
Ranch Junior/Senior High School opens.
1988: The
first fire station opens.
1991: Highlands Ranch celebrates
its 10th anniversary with a population of almost 17,000.
1994: It is recognized as the best-selling master-planned
community in the United States by Arthur Andersen Real Estate
Advisory Services. The first grocery store opens.
1996: The library levy passes, permitting
the construction of a regional branch library. An agreement to
convey a county regional park within the Wildcat Mountain Reserve
is signed. Red Rocks Federal Credit Union moves its headquarters
to Highlands Ranch.
1997: Shea
Homes acquires Mission Viejo Co. and Highlands Ranch, which has
a population of about 39,000.
1997: Construction begins
on Highlands Ranch Boulevard (later renamed Lucent Boulevard),
the fourth interchange that provides access from Highlands Ranch
to C-470. Construction begins on the community's second golf
course, Highlands Ranch Golf Club. AMC Highlands Ranch 24 Theatres
opens.
1999: Shea Homes/Shea Properties launches the
Highlands Ranch Business Park with the construction of the Shea
Center. Lucent Technologies announces it will move its company
headquarters to the business park.
2000: The Highlands Ranch Library opens. The
Chamber of Commerce of Highlands Ranch is founded. The 55-acre
Redstone Park, the community's largest, opens.
2001: The development celebrates its 20th anniversary
with a population of about 70,000.
2004: The first businesses open in the Highlands
Ranch Town Center.
2005: Civic Green Park opens at the Town Center.
2006: As the 25th
anniversary approaches, the population tops 86,000.
2012: A light-rail station is scheduled to open at Lucent Boulevard
and C-470.
2014: The projected date for the project to reach
residential buildout.
Source: Shea Homes, Metro Districts of Highlands
Ranch, U.S. Census Bureau, HRCA, Denver Post
