Living in
Southern Highlands
Southern Highlands is a roughly 2,300-acre master-planned community on the southern rim of the Las Vegas Valley, one of the metro's premier guard-gated golf and estate addresses, with a Robert Trent Jones golf course, The Estates, The Villages and dozens of named neighborhoods. This authority guide ties the whole plan together: the history, the golf, the gated enclaves, the parks, the schools and how the sections compare.
Representative imagery: the golf and estate character of Southern Highlands
Southern Highlands Overview
Southern Highlands sits on the southern rim of the valley, roughly ten miles south of the Las Vegas Strip, bounded on the east by I-15, on the north by Cactus Avenue and on the west by Jones Boulevard, extending to the planroom limit on the south. Its approximately 2,299-2,300 acres put it among the largest and most established guard-gated master plans in Southern Nevada.
The community was developed by Olympia Group, an Arizona-based developer that assembled the land through BLM exchanges concluded in the mid-1990s; Clark County approved the development agreement in November 1998, and the community opened in the late 1990s to early 2000s. The master plan caps out at about 8,500 residential units, with roughly 6,500 homes reported built.
Architecturally, Southern Highlands is two stories at once: an ultra-premium Estates section wrapped around the golf course and foothills, and a broad Villages collection of family neighborhoods served by a community-wide trail, park and club system. It is also one of the valley's most guarded places, with 24/7 gatehouse operations at many entries.
~2,300
Acres in the master plan
~6,500
Homes reported built
2000
Golf club opened
Sections & Enclaves of Southern Highlands
Southern Highlands is organized around two principal sections with many named neighborhoods and guard-gated enclaves inside them. The list below reflects the verified architecture of the master plan. The Estates now carries its own dedicated guide, linked in the section below; The Villages and its named neighborhoods, and the four Estates enclaves (Augusta Canyon, Castle Oaks, Eagles Landing and Olympia Ridge), remain contextual content on this parent page rather than separate child pages.
Named gated enclaves and neighborhood sub-communities
The Estates contains its own gated sub-enclaves including Augusta Canyon, Castle Oaks, Eagles Landing and Olympia Ridge, and other guard-gated and open neighborhoods. In all, sources identify roughly twenty named enclaves and village sub-communities inside the Southern Highlands master plan.
The Estates & The Villages
Southern Highlands is really two distinct residential areas under one master plan. The Estates is the innermost, most prestigious guard-gated section, wrapped around the private golf course and country club and built out with the community's largest, most custom luxury estate homes. The Villages are the family-oriented neighborhoods in the northern portion of the master plan, with a broad range of builders, floor plans and price points. When you compare addresses here, the first question is always which of the two you are in.
The Estates
The innermost, most prestigious guard-gated section of Southern Highlands, wrapped around the private golf and country club. Elevated lots, the community's largest custom estate homes, and mountain-and-Strip views make it the highest-privacy residential district of the master plan. Its four luxury enclaves, Augusta Canyon, Castle Oaks, Eagles Landing and Olympia Ridge, sit inside this innermost section.
The Villages
The family-oriented neighborhoods in the northern portion of the master plan: 20+ named villages and communities built by a range of production and semi-custom builders, with a broad spread of floor plans and price points. The Villages and their named neighborhoods stay at this parent level, where each is covered in context as part of the Southern Highlands master.
Southern Highlands Golf Club
The Southern Highlands Golf Club is a private, parkland-style club that opened in 2000 on a 230-acre course co-designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Robert Trent Jones Jr. It anchors the Estates side of the community, and its clubhouse serves the gated estate neighborhood wrapped around it.
The course was designed as a private championship-tour-scale layout and remains one of the most considered "member experience" clubs in Southern Nevada, complementing the valley's more celebrated Northern Range course settings. To play the member club, you must know a member or be affiliated with the Southern Highlands community.
Parks & Communities
Representative imagery: the community park character of Southern Highlands
Southern Highlands carries a community park and open-space network maintained by the Southern Highlands Community Association. Somerset Hills Park is the community's largest park, roughly six acres with a splash pad, tennis courts, playgrounds, gazebos and BBQ meeting areas, located on Valencia Hills Street. The HOA lists seven community parks in total plus about two dog parks.
Southern Highlands HOA parksSchools & Education
Southern Highlands feeds into the Clark County School District, with the commonly cited zoned path of Evelyn Stuckey Elementary, Tarkanian Middle School and Desert Oasis High School. Because the master plan spans many villages and neighborhoods, some villages are assigned alternate elementary campuses (such as John R. Hummel Elementary and Del E. Webb Middle School), so the definitive check is the exact address.
The official CCSD school finder
School boundaries in Clark County are assigned by exact address and can change year to year. Enter a specific property address to confirm the current elementary, middle and high school for that home.
Official school finderDining & Everyday
Southern Highlands has its own retail corridor along Southern Highlands Parkway, where the neighborhood's dining and services sit just inside the master plan. For shopping, the Blue Diamond Road corridor and the southwest valley's centers are minutes away, and the Strip and Harry Reid International Airport are roughly ten to fifteen minutes by car.
Newcomers relocating to Las Vegas often weight the two-community trade: gate security and estate character here versus newer, wider-open master plans farther south. If you are comparing the two, the next guide covers how the options stack up.
Southern Highlands FAQ
Where is Southern Highlands in Las Vegas?
Southern Highlands sits roughly ten miles south of the Las Vegas Strip on the southern rim of the valley, bounded by I-15 on the east, Cactus Avenue on the north, Jones Boulevard on the west, and its southern limits near Warm Springs. Much of the master plan is in the unincorporated Enterprise area of Clark County.
How big is Southern Highlands?
The master-planned community is approximately 2,300 acres, per Clark County's planning records (reported range about 2,200 to 2,700 acres in various guides). A cap of about 8,500 residential units applies to the plan, and roughly 6,500 homes are reported built within it.
Who built Southern Highlands and the golf course?
The community was developed by the Olympia Group, an Arizona-based developer, which completed the initial land exchange work in the mid-1990s; Clark County approved the development agreement in November 1998. The private Southern Highlands Golf Club opened in 2000 on a 230-acre course co-designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Robert Trent Jones Jr.
Is Southern Highlands fully gated?
Not as a single gate. Southern Highlands is a master-planned community made up of many separate neighborhoods and enclaves; most of the estate and luxury neighborhoods are guard-gated, while many of The Villages family neighborhoods have their own gated or open arrangements, so gate status varies by exact address.
What is the difference between The Estates and The Villages at Southern Highlands?
The Estates is the premium guard-gated section wrapped around the golf course and foothills, with custom estate lots of about half an acre to more than five acres. The Villages is the residential collection of 20+ named neighborhoods across the master plan, with a broad range of builders, floor plans and price points.
What schools serve Southern Highlands?
The zoned public path commonly cited for the community is Evelyn Stuckey Elementary (alternate elementary campuses serve different villages), continuing to Tarkanian Middle School and Desert Oasis High School in the Clark County School District. Boundaries are assigned by exact address and change over time, so confirm a specific home with CCSD's official school finder.
The local expert who reads value
Sandy Margolin, REALTOR and Certified AI Agent, with 36+ years in real estate and approximately 20 years of prior experience as a licensed residential real estate appraiser, with Real Broker LLC and Nevada Sales Person License S.72707.
In a gated estate master plan like Southern Highlands, the enclave, lot and position relative to the golf matter as much as the price. For both buyers and sellers, that is exactly where appraisal training shows: picking the right immediately sales, being honest about what a listing is really worth and what you keep after you sell.
Nevada Sales Person License S.72707 · Real Broker LLC · Equal Housing Opportunity
Weighing an Estates lot or a Village home?
Tell me the enclave you are considering and I will break down how it lives, what it is worth and whether it fits your next chapter: including the walk-away math.