Whats the scoop on living in Highlands Ranch? Pros and cons? (Loveland: middle-class, crime)

[sammy87]

Originally Posted by BarryK123

But if you prefer homeless camps, filth and riots, move to downtown Denver.

Great place for kids! and the diversity and culture are top notch!

[NoVaFirstTimer]

Originally Posted by 2bindenver

Real estate broker and former resident of HR for twenty years here. Highlands Ranch is roughly the same size as Arvada. It has four Rec centers with classes, indoor and outdoor pools, miles of open space trails, tennis courts and a batting cage.

It is likely to remain unincorporated until either Lone Tree or Castle Pines makes a land grab. They have the money.

I lived in one resale and two brand new houses.

What would you like to know?

Hello,

I am interested in Highlands Ranch area as well -

Since it is unincorporated, does living in Highlands Ranch mean more independent bills (trash services, fall leaf collection services etc.)? The HOA covers admin and recreational functions only from the website.

We are looking into southeast Denver suburbs (Highlands Ranch, Littleton, and Centennial) with good schools, plenty of older trees and do not mind older houses with small lots. So far we liked areas west of I-25 and south of Arapahoe Rd. We are also looking into Littleton areas near Marston lake with cheaper houses & no HOAs. The HR HOA seems worth it since we have kids and will enroll them in rec classes. But if there area cheaper alternatives, would love to learn about them.

Thanks!

[COcheesehead]

If you use the rec centers, HR is kind of a deal since the centers offer so much already included in the HOA payment. Classes and leagues are additional. The HOA payment also covers trash and curbside recycling.

[mkwensky]

Originally Posted by NoVaFirstTimer

Hello,

I am interested in Highlands Ranch area as well -

Since it is unincorporated, does living in Highlands Ranch mean more independent bills (trash services, fall leaf collection services etc.)? The HOA covers admin and recreational functions only from the website.

We are looking into southeast Denver suburbs (Highlands Ranch, Littleton, and Centennial) with good schools, plenty of older trees and do not mind older houses with small lots. So far we liked areas west of I-25 and south of Arapahoe Rd. We are also looking into Littleton areas near Marston lake with cheaper houses & no HOAs. The HR HOA seems worth it since we have kids and will enroll them in rec classes. But if there area cheaper alternatives, would love to learn about them.

Thanks!

If you like older trees then Littleton has more of them than HR.

[2bindenver]

Originally Posted by NoVaFirstTimer

Hello,

I am interested in Highlands Ranch area as well -

Since it is unincorporated, does living in Highlands Ranch mean more independent bills (trash services, fall leaf collection services etc.)? The HOA covers admin and recreational functions only from the website.

We are looking into southeast Denver suburbs (Highlands Ranch, Littleton, and Centennial) with good schools, plenty of older trees and do not mind older houses with small lots. So far we liked areas west of I-25 and south of Arapahoe Rd. We are also looking into Littleton areas near Marston lake with cheaper houses & no HOAs. The HR HOA seems worth it since we have kids and will enroll them in rec classes. But if there are cheaper alternatives, would love to learn about them.

Thanks!

Trash, water & sewer are separate from the HOA in single-family residences - and sometimes there is more than one HOA bill.

Townhomes & condos can have trash & water sewer included.

Fall leaf collection? Either mulch them or bag them. They do have a xmas tree recycle program.

[modest]

Geologically, there's a lot of rolling hills, beautiful vistas, and close proximity to natural habitats being on the SE edge of the metro area.

Politically, as it sits on the edge of Douglas County, it leans conservative, but is probably a bit more progressive than the rest of the county.

Culturally, I would describe it as generic, middle class suburbia. Strip malls, big box chains, cookie cutter homes, and winding streets with names that are different variations of one another (Aspen Ln, Aspen Circle, Aspen Ct, etc.).

Demographically, I would describe it as mostly white and protestant, with a mix of SE Asians and other smaller minority groups.

The schools are pretty good, but they've had a lot of difficulty with their school boards being taken over by Koch Brother-sponsored politicos who want to run the schools more like a business. The downside of this is that they have often cut funding for various programs and restricted pay raises on teachers, which has driven away teachers from the district in years past. It seems like they are doing alright now with the current board, but there is always a risk of this happening due to the political slant of the county. The locals have also been pretty outspoken about mask mandates and hybrid learning during the pandemic.

It seems like a typical middle class, suburban enclave where folks go to raise their children perhaps before moving back closer to the urban core. I don't have anything particularly negative to say about it, but it's certainly not my cup of tea since I have different priorities.

[2bindenver]

I raised three kids in HR - All three went to Mountain Vista. Two went on to colleges in CA, one graduated from CSU.

Dougco kids are well prepared for college if that is what they want. There are plenty of single parents to retirees. It is a subdivision the size of Arvada.

Colorado plus is the grade-schoolers get a free ski pass program. https://www.epicpass.com/info/epic-s.../colorado.aspx

[modest]

Originally Posted by modest

Geologically, there's a lot of rolling hills, beautiful vistas, and close proximity to natural habitats being on the SE edge of the metro area.

Oops, I meant SW edge.

[NoVaFirstTimer]

Great info! Thanks everyone!

We will sign up for the Epic Pass next year - it is closed this year. On a related note, are chains or snow tires required for travel to ski resorts with a FWD minivan? We won't make more than 2-3 trips each season and will either stay home or in major roads in the metro area if it snows a lot.

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by NoVaFirstTimer

Great info! Thanks everyone!

We will sign up for the Epic Pass next year - it is closed this year. On a related note, are chains or snow tires required for travel to ski resorts with a FWD minivan? We won't make more than 2-3 trips each season and will either stay home or in major roads in the metro area if it snows a lot.

If you're planning to go up I-70 between September 1st and May 31st, I would get winter tires for a FWD car.

At the very least you need tires that are rated for snow or mud+snow, and they have to have a minimum of 3/16" of tread left on them. If you get stuck and cause a traffic backup on I-70 and you don't meet the traction law, you'll get an expensive ticket ($650 or more).