NEWS
January 2021
HAPPY 40TH ANNIVERSARY HIGHLANDS RANCH! Forty years ago, Mission Viejo had a vision for a new master planned residential community just south of Denver. This new masterplanned community called Highlands Ranch had big plans that laid out several major streets and called for multiple schools, four recreation centers, acres and acres of open space, community parks, a business park as well as a town center and public library. That community is now an award-winning thriving community known for its high quality of life. The first houses in the Ranch were completed in 1981 and by 1984 we had over 2,880 residents. Today, Highlands Ranch is 22,000 acres with over 68 miles of paved and natural trails within the community, over 2,577 acres of natural open space, three community gardens, four dog parks, six ponds, six community parks, and 20 neighborhood parks. The jewel of the community is the 8,200 acres of the southernmost area of Highlands Ranch designated as the Backcountry Wilderness Area, which is dedicated for the preservation of open space, wildlife habitat enhancement and outdoor recreation. Our Highlands Ranch population now exceeds 99,000 residents and the community has almost reached full build out with over 32,000 homes. As we move into the new year, you will see the new 40th Anniversary logo throughout the community, and many of our annual events will have additional emphasis on the 40th Anniversary. We look forward to celebrating this milestone in 2021! Visit our web site in early January for more historic facts about Highlands Ranch, trivia, and much more!
HRCA RECEIVES BEST PRACTICE CERTIFICATION HRCA has received the COVID Best Practices Business Certification from Douglas County. This allows us to operate at Level Orange and increases the capacity at our recreation centers. Reservations are still required for the pool, weights and cardio areas are available on our web site at www.HRCAonline.org/Reservations.
The COVID Best Practices Business Certification Program is a voluntary local certification program that enables businesses to operate at a sustainable capacity while ensuring compliance with COVID-19 transmission controls and best practices. For more information, go to https://www.douglas.co.us/certify-mybusiness/.
HR HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS "STREET NAMES" Have you wondered how your street got its name? When Mission Viejo was developing Highlands Ranch, it hired Brock and Associates advertising firm for marketing. On short notice, Kathi Brock, owner of the firm, was asked to help name the streets of the new town. Late one afternoon, Jim Toepfer (Mission Viejo and Highlands Ranch city planner dubbed “Father of Highlands Ranch”) called her and said, “We need to have all the Phase One street names for our planning meeting tomorrow morning.” Brock exclaimed it was late in the afternoon but Toepfer pressed, “I need it!” Fueled with food and beverages from Beer and Pizza, Brock and her employees worked late into the night. “We got the thesaurus out, went through all of the wildflowers, mountain ranges and more,” she said. The grid streets, such as Broadway and University, remained the same. Brock and her advertising team named the other streets. “So if anyone has complaints, it all started with an advertising agency and probably too many beers and too much pizza late in the evening!” she said. For the full video interview with Kathi Brock about marketing the new town of Highlands Ranch as well as other oral histories, visit the Highlands Ranch Historical Society’s web site at https://www.theHRHS.org/.
FITNESS AND RACE SERIES INSERT Go online and see the latest fitness and Race Series 2021 insert! All the latest information and dates are available.