A south suburb of Denver, Colorado, Highlands Ranch's infrastructure is being built by the Metro Districts of Highlands Ranch, the community's local government. Shea Homes, the community's developer, offers a resource-filled community Web site.

Located in Douglas County, one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation, Highlands Ranch also receives services like road and traffic signal maintenance, and street snow removal and sweeping from Douglas County. The public schools in Highlands Ranch are affiliated with the Douglas County School District.

Indoor recreation, programming at three community recreation centers, indoor and outdoor pool facilities and residential architectural review are managed by a homeowner's association, the Highlands Ranch Community Association (HRCA). There are also sub homeowner associations located in neighborhoods across the community.

The highly acclaimed schools of Highlands Ranch consist of four private schools, 15 elementary schools, three middle schools and three high schools. The public schools are part of the Douglas County School District and use the year round concept for an educational advantage. Experts believe there is a higher retention rate for students under this program then those which have long vacation periods. With the year-round system breaks are distributed throughout the year. This maximizes use of the facilities, minimizes class time spent on review and provides more time for teaching new concepts.

There are presently 35,000 students in all grades. The average SAT score is 1061 (Math is 533 and Verbal is 528). The average ACT score is 21.4. There have been four National Merit Finalists and 84% of all graduates continue on to college.

Highlands Ranch is conveniently located near state parks, hiking areas, shopping, diverse restaurants and a multitude of other diverse activities for which Colorado is famous. Two golf courses are located in Highlands Ranch and some of the world's best skiing and snowboarding is a little more than a one-hour drive in the beautiful Rocky Mountains.

RTD, the Regional Transportation District, serves Highlands Ranch with the RanchRider bus service and light rail connects to local bus service in nearby Littleton.

The climate is temperate throughout the year. There are usually over 300 days of sunshine in the area, providing ample options for those looking for an active outdoor lifestyle. Expanses of open space and diverse parks offer many activities from sledding to soccer, depending on the season.