Highlands Ranch

View of downtown Denver to the north.
Gas fire pit on deck feels great when it cools down at night.

Front of the house faces west so rarely have to shovel...melts as soon as the sun hits which is pretty much every day.

Looking out back to the south. Amazing views from mountain bike trails on that peak with kids' high school and middle school at the base.

View from the kids' bedrooms.

Highlands Ranch is the largest homeowners association in the country. It is about 20 minutes south of downtown Denver, 10 minutes north of Castle Rock, and just a few minutes from the base of the Rocky Mountains. Definitely designed with families in mind...lots of open spaces, parks, trails, schools and 4 amazing recreation facilities run by the HRCA which I work for. I looked at a number of different houses in Highlands Ranch prior to selling ours in Iowa City. When I walked in this one I knew it was the one...it just felt like Colorado with amazing views of downtown Denver and a panorama of the mountains in front and open space and views of the quiet foothills off the back deck. It sits on a quiet circle and has a corner lot which gives space on both sides with a nice sized yard (by HR standards). We are on one of the highest parts of HR (elev. 6000 ft.) and are less than a mile from my work. Kids ride their bikes to school and to the rec center. A short bike ride to the south and we are in the 8200 acres of Backcountry Wilderness Area where there are awesome bike trails with amazing views and lots of wildlife including elk, deer, coyote and wild turkey. Saw my first rattlesnake with Ryan while riding last summer!