Highlands Ranch Info
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History
Highlands Ranch was a prime hunting area for the Arapaho, Ute and Cheyenne Indians years before it was claimed as a Spanish Territory in the mid-1500’s. France and Spain each laid claim to the area until it officially became part of the United States in 1803 when Napoleon sold it as part of the Louisiana Purchase.
Many people homesteaded the area including Rufus H. Clark, better known as "Dad Clark". In 1859 he filed a 160-acre homestead on the site of what is the Highlands Ranch Golf Club today. He tried his hand at potato farming and was so successful he became known as Colorado’s "Potato King". Eventually he donated 80 acres of land and $500 to a Methodist college which later became the University of Denver.
From 1891-1904, John Springer owned the land and built the Highlands Ranch Mansion, originally known as Castle Isabel. He owned over 23,000 acres of land in the area! The land changed hands several more times until 1937 when Lawrence Phipps, a Colorado Senator in the U.S. Congress, bought it for cattle ranching. In 1978, the land was purchased by Mission Viejo and Highlands Ranch as we know it today was started. In 1997, Shea Homes bought it from Mission Viejo and has continued the final development of this well-planned community.
Facilities and Locations
The HRCA operates and maintains four state-of-the art recreational facilities with over 329,000 square feet of work out facilities, meeting rooms, event and classroom space, running tracks, basketball and sports courts, all in Highlands Ranch for use by its members. A new seasonal outdoor synthetic Ice Rink and seasonal indoor turf fields are also available to residents and their guests. Each facility has common amenities, but each also has its own unique attributes. For instance, the Recreation Center at Northridge features a covered tennis pavilion; the Recreation Center at Southridge is the newest of the four and features the beautiful Wildcat Mountain Auditorium with high-tech lighting and sound, and a pottery studio, the Recreation Center at Eastridge not only houses the Administrative Office, but also is the venue for many community events, and the Recreation Center at Westridge boasts a sport court with indoor turf. The Backcountry Wilderness Area is 8,200 acres of pristine wilderness with a small percentage of that acreage devoted to recreation. Check out the website at www.highlandsranch.org and you'll discover why Highlands Ranch is a great place to live, work, and play. Another great site to review is www.hrcaonline.org!
History
Highlands Ranch was a prime hunting area for the Arapaho, Ute and Cheyenne Indians years before it was claimed as a Spanish Territory in the mid-1500’s. France and Spain each laid claim to the area until it officially became part of the United States in 1803 when Napoleon sold it as part of the Louisiana Purchase.
Many people homesteaded the area including Rufus H. Clark, better known as "Dad Clark". In 1859 he filed a 160-acre homestead on the site of what is the Highlands Ranch Golf Club today. He tried his hand at potato farming and was so successful he became known as Colorado’s "Potato King". Eventually he donated 80 acres of land and $500 to a Methodist college which later became the University of Denver.
From 1891-1904, John Springer owned the land and built the Highlands Ranch Mansion, originally known as Castle Isabel. He owned over 23,000 acres of land in the area! The land changed hands several more times until 1937 when Lawrence Phipps, a Colorado Senator in the U.S. Congress, bought it for cattle ranching. In 1978, the land was purchased by Mission Viejo and Highlands Ranch as we know it today was started. In 1997, Shea Homes bought it from Mission Viejo and has continued the final development of this well-planned community.
Facilities and Locations
The HRCA operates and maintains four state-of-the art recreational facilities with over 329,000 square feet of work out facilities, meeting rooms, event and classroom space, running tracks, basketball and sports courts, all in Highlands Ranch for use by its members. A new seasonal outdoor synthetic Ice Rink and seasonal indoor turf fields are also available to residents and their guests. Each facility has common amenities, but each also has its own unique attributes. For instance, the Recreation Center at Northridge features a covered tennis pavilion; the Recreation Center at Southridge is the newest of the four and features the beautiful Wildcat Mountain Auditorium with high-tech lighting and sound, and a pottery studio, the Recreation Center at Eastridge not only houses the Administrative Office, but also is the venue for many community events, and the Recreation Center at Westridge boasts a sport court with indoor turf. The Backcountry Wilderness Area is 8,200 acres of pristine wilderness with a small percentage of that acreage devoted to recreation. Check out the website at www.highlandsranch.org and you'll discover why Highlands Ranch is a great place to live, work, and play. Another great site to review is www.hrcaonline.org!
