Highlands Ranch is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Douglas County, Colorado, United States.

[4] The Highlands Ranch Metropolitan District provides services to the community, which lies in ZIP Codes 80126, 80129, 80130, and 80163 (for post office boxes).

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 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.

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.

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.

In 1978, a large parcel of land in unincorporated Douglas County was purchased by The Mission Viejo Company.

Plans for Highlands Ranch also included a snaking "green belt" which provided for undeveloped land for recreation.

The first Highlands Ranch branch of Douglas County Libraries also opened in 1991, housed in a strip mall off Broadway and Springer Drive.

[citation needed] 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.

[citation needed] 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 tornado touched down near Colorado State Highway 470 and tracked 8.36 miles through Highlands Ranch and into Lone Tree.

[15] It borders several other Denver suburbs including Littleton and Centennial to the north and Acres Green and Lone Tree to the east.

The three industries employing the largest percentages of the working civilian labor force were: educational services, health care, and social assistance (20.5%); professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (16.1%); finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (12.2%).

Most municipal services, such as the construction and upkeep of arterial roads, parks and open space areas, are performed by the Highlands Ranch Metro District, a special district under state law, which is funded mostly by property taxes and state lottery funds.

This covenant places firm guidelines on such issues as housing decoration, fencing, and contribution to the area's library and recreation centers.

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

Notable individuals who were born in or have lived in Highlands Ranch include actress Keri Russell,[29] physicist William C. Davidon,[30] NFL All Pro Running Back Christian McCaffrey, U.S. Olympic luger Courtney Zablocki,[31] Czech hockey player Milan Hejduk,[32] 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.