The September issue of Money magazine included a list of the Best Places to Live 2012 and two of the cities in the Denver metropolitan area were ranked in this list.
Castle Rock, a scenic town with spectacular views of the front range mountains and located south of Denver ranked an impressive #17. Castle Rock was named for a small butte located in the middle of town when it was settled in the mid 1800's. Residents enjoy a wonderful quality of life with a "small town" feel yet have the amenities of top-quality schools, terrific recreational opportunities and an abundance of fantastic shopping and restaurant venues.
Highlands Ranch, once a large cattle ranch turned master planned community, ranked close behind Castle Rock at #21 on the list. The culmination of years of extensive research and thoughtful planning, Highlands Ranch is a town within a town boasting several recreation center facilities, shopping and entertainment centers, trails, parks and recreation fields - it is a community that many families migrate to if for no other reason than convenience of having everything within a few miles of their front doors. Located south of Denver in the active and growing southern corridor, residents enjoy convenient access to C-470, I-25 and the Denver Tech Center.
A little known secret, Highlands Ranch still has cattle today! If you drive south on Ranch Road you will come to the original mansion, the adjacent cattle barn and windmill (pictured) which provided water to the livestock. You may just see some cattle grazing while you are there!
