The Highlands at Dove Mountain

The Highlands at Dove Mountain (formerly Heritage Highlands) is a gated 55+ active adult community of 1,297 single-story homes nestled in the foothills of the Tortolita Mountains in Marana, Arizona — about 25 miles northwest of downtown Tucson. Built between 1997 and 2007 by US Home Corporation (with a final phase by Lennar), the community is fully built out and offers roughly 20 different floor plans ranging from 1,100 to over 2,600 square feet. Homes are predominantly single-family, with a small number of attached townhouse-style residences. The community sits inside the 6,200-acre master-planned Dove Mountain development at an elevation of approximately 3,000 feet — summers here average about seven degrees cooler than Phoenix, which makes outdoor activity genuinely enjoyable year-round. The centerpiece of life at The Highlands is the 29,000-square-foot clubhouse, set above the 9th green with panoramic views of Tucson, the Catalina Mountains, and the Tortolitas. The clubhouse includes The Highlands Bar and Grille (a full-service restaurant with indoor dining, a wall of windows, and The Patio on the Green for outdoor dining), a bar and lounge, a ballroom for events and weddings, a library with community computers, card rooms, an arts and crafts room, a billiards room, and a golf shop. A separate 5,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art fitness center — added in 2007 — features treadmills, cross trainers, exercise bikes, a free-weight room, and dedicated studios for aerobics, yoga, tai chi, Zumba, and dance classes. Outside, residents enjoy a 25-yard heated saltwater pool, a 15-foot therapy spa, four lighted Nova Pro cushioned tennis courts (resurfaced in 2012), and pickleball courts. The 18-hole championship golf course was designed by renowned architect Arthur Hills and winds through the community, offering mountain, desert, and city views from every hole. The front nine plays relatively flat while the back nine rolls through elevation changes and strategically placed bunkers. Amenities include a driving range, putting green, a newer short-game practice area, and on-site golf professionals. The course has a healthy membership base (400+ members) and welcomes non-member daily play during off-season; it operates alongside the neighboring Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain (Jack Nicklaus Signature) and The Gallery. Social life is exceptionally active. Residents describe dozens of clubs and interest groups: arts and crafts, ceramics, photography, writing, book club, bible study, bridge and other card games, bowling, hiking, biking, ballroom and line dancing, clogging, singing, Spanish classes, scrabble, politics, quilting, bird watching, bocce ball, and pickleball leagues. Events, concerts, and day trips run throughout the year. The community is self-managed with notably strong financials — reserves of roughly $10.6 million fund ongoing amenity upgrades and a separate Association Improvement Fund supports new amenity development. The community is staffed-gated 24/7 with a single main entrance off Dove Mountain Boulevard. Immediately outside the gate, the Dove Mountain Centre provides a grocery store, banks, Starbucks, and other retail. A premium outlet mall sits about five minutes away, and downtown Tucson is roughly 20–25 minutes via I-10 (Twin Peaks or Tangerine interchanges). The adjacent 3,000-acre Tortolita Mountain Park offers trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding directly out residents' front doors, and Catalina State Park is nearby. While the setting feels rural and desert-quiet, the location offers quick access to the full spread of Tucson's medical, cultural, and shopping amenities — and the University of Arizona, downtown theater, and Tucson International Airport are all within easy reach.