Highlands Ranch grew on a real ranch, and the mansion is still there

The name Highlands Ranch is not just marketing. Before the rooftops and trails, this was a working ranch in northern Douglas County, and a piece of it survives at its heart.

The story starts with a farmhouse built in the 1890s. Later owners expanded and remodeled it over the decades into the grand mansion you see today. The land changed hands several times. One owner, Waite Phillips, whose family was tied to Phillips Petroleum, first attached the “Highland Ranch” name. A later owner, Frank Kistler, ran it as a serious breeding ranch for cattle and other livestock.

Decades later, the ranch land became the planned community most people know today. Rather than tear down the old mansion, it was restored. It is now owned by the Highlands Ranch Metro District, the special district that handles many local services here, and it is open to the public for free tours and as a rental venue for events.

For a newcomer, the mansion is a calm way to see what the land was before the subdivision, and a reminder that the metro district is a real local government, not just an HOA. For tour days and the full history, check the Highlands Ranch Metro District site.