High Country is the highest tier of North Ranch, 68 custom estate lots of mostly two to three acres on the ridge above North Ranch Country Club, where long driveways end at private gates and listings sell the panoramic views. It suits buyers who want acreage, privacy and a custom house rather than a gatehouse and a tract plan, and it is still being built out, so you can buy a 1990s estate, a brand new one, or the dirt. Finished homes sold for about $3.5M to $11.2M in 2024 to 2026, with vacant lots at about $1.7M to $2.1M in 2026.
Climb above the country club and the lots keep getting bigger until the streets simply end. That is High Country. Up here a neighbor is an estate behind its own gate a few hundred feet away, a cul-de-sac means no one passes who does not live there, and on some streets the sound of the morning is a crew finishing a house that will be the newest on the hill. It is the one part of North Ranch where a 1991 estate, a 2024 contemporary and an empty two acre pad can share the same court.
| Homes | 68 estate lots, about 46 built, the rest vacant or under construction |
|---|---|
| Built | 1990 to 2024, still building out |
| Price range | About $3.5M to $11.2M for homes, $1.7M to $2.1M for lots, 2024 to 2026 |
| Size | 4 to 7 bedrooms, roughly 4,860 to 11,000 square feet |
| Lots | Mostly 2 to 3 acres, median about 2.1 acres, up to 11 acres |
| HOA | About $120 to $173 a month |
| Gated | No community gate; most estates have private gates |
| Schools | Westlake Hills Elementary, Colina Middle, Westlake High |
Life above the club
High Country is quiet in a way that most of Westlake Village is not. The streets are short, many of them cul-de-sacs, and one lot here is marketed as sitting at the end of a quiet street with no road noise. Houses sit back from the road on pads carved into the hillside, usually behind their own gates, with the oak canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains foothills and North Ranch Country Club below.
The neighbors are a mix. Seventeen of the homes went up between 1990 and 1993, another twenty between 1996 and 2007, and nine more since 2018, with several lots still empty or under construction. So you get long tenured owners who have been on the hill thirty years living next to families who just finished a custom build, and construction traffic is part of the picture. If you want a finished, settled enclave, that matters. If you want a place where you can still build exactly the house you want on two acres, this is one of the last places in North Ranch to do it.
This is a drive-everywhere neighborhood, and that is the point. What you get in exchange is space, sky and a view that very few lots in the area can match.
The homes: two markets on one hill
There is no builder and no tract plan in High Country. Every house is a custom build on a custom lot, which is why the range is so wide. In practice the hill trades as two markets.
- The 1990s and 2000s originals. Estates of roughly 4,800 to 7,100 square feet on two to three acres. These sold for about $3.5M to $4.5M in 2024 to 2026, which on a per square foot basis is the entry point on the hill for anyone willing to update.
- The new construction. Recent builds of roughly 8,000 to 11,000 square feet, including a single story estate with six ensuite bedrooms set up a long driveway behind private gates. These closed at about $8.1M to $11.2M in 2024 and 2025, roughly $900 to $1,000 per square foot.
- The lots. Vacant two to three acre parcels sold for about $1.7M to $2.1M in 2026. On a two acre lot the usable flat pad can be closer to one acre, as one Golf Course Drive lot advertises, so grading and site work are a real line in any build budget.
Lots are mostly two to three acres with a median around 2.1 acres and a few that run to about eleven. Dues are modest for the price point, about $120 to $173 a month; ask the association for the budget so you know exactly what they cover. For how these numbers sit against the rest of the city, see our Westlake Village home values page.
Schools: Westlake Hills, Colina, Westlake High
High Country is in the Conejo Valley Unified School District and feeds Westlake Hills Elementary, Colina Middle School and Westlake High School. Westlake Hills is a K through 5 campus rated 9 out of 10 on GreatSchools. Westlake High, on North Lakeview Canyon Road, is rated 10 out of 10 and is ranked #283 in California by U.S. News. Colina Middle in Thousand Oaks sits in the middle at 6 out of 10, and some families on the hill use private schools.
North Ranch is split among several elementary schools, and the district adjusts boundaries from time to time, so confirm the assignment for a specific address with the district before you write an offer.
North Ranch Country Club and the neighborhoods around it
The club below the hill is the reason North Ranch exists. North Ranch Country Club was founded in 1976 on a Ted Robinson Sr. design, 27 holes across three nines named Oak, Valley and Lakes, and the course was redone by Jackson Kahn Design in 2024 with Bermuda fairways and greens. Full equity membership also brings a practice facility, lounges and locker rooms, eleven lighted racquet courts and an athletic center on site. One thing to be clear about: membership is separate from the house and separate from the HOA. Buying in High Country does not come with club privileges, and the club sets its own initiation and dues.
High Country is the top rung of a ladder of North Ranch neighborhoods we work in regularly. See also Fairway Oaks, Emerald Forest and The Masters Series. North Ranch Country Club Estates on Lakeview Canyon Road is guard gated and is often confused with High Country; they are different neighborhoods with different feels. Our full map of Westlake Village neighborhoods puts them all in context.
One practical note that surprises people in escrow: the mailing address is Westlake Village 91362, but every parcel in High Country is inside the City of Thousand Oaks in Ventura County. That governs your property tax bill, permits, police and fire, and city services.
Who it suits, and what to know before you buy
High Country is for the buyer who wants land and a custom house above everything else. Multi generational families who need 8,000 square feet on one level. People who want a pool, a court, a guest house and room left over. Owners who would rather build than compromise. It is not for someone who wants a staffed gate, a walkable street or a house that is finished and done with no construction nearby.
- No community gate. Security is whatever gate is on your own driveway. If a guard gate is a must, Country Club Estates is the neighboring alternative.
- You are buying into an active hillside. About 22 of the 68 lots are unbuilt. A neighbor's custom build on three acres can take years, so we check the permit status of adjacent parcels with the City before you commit.
- Flat pad versus slope. Two acres on paper can be about one usable acre. On a lot purchase, the grading and retaining budget matters as much as the land price.
- Street names do not define the neighborhood. Rayburn Street runs through more than one North Ranch neighborhood, and only the upper stretch is High Country. We confirm the property against the association boundary, not the street name.
- Two sets of documents to read. Along with the High Country association, North Ranch has a master property owners association. We pull both sets of rules and budgets so you know what you are paying and what architectural review will ask of any remodel or new build.
- The club is extra. Budget for membership separately if golf or tennis is part of the plan.
Prices here have two very different stories, and the gap between asking prices on new construction and what actually closes can be wide. That is where local pricing judgment earns its keep.
Owning in High Country
What a typical home costs to own
About $41,994/month
- Principal and interest$35,847
- Property tax (about 1.1% of price, Ventura County)$6,027
- HOA$120
Estimate for a $6.58M home, near the middle of the recent range here, with 20% down at 7.24% (30 year fixed, Freddie Mac, October 29, 2026). Homeowners insurance is extra and varies with fire zone, so get a quote early. Your lender's figures will differ.
Westlake Village market, latest data
- Median sale price$1.67M
- Change over 12 months+14.9%
- Typical days on market45
Citywide, three months ending May 2026. Westlake Village home values
Our experience here
We sell across this part of the Conejo Valley, including the neighborhoods around High Country, and are glad to talk through how it compares.
Westlake Village home prices, the last five years
Questions people ask about High Country
Is High Country in Westlake Village gated?
No. There is no community gate or guardhouse in High Country. Listings describe estates and lots alike as sitting behind private gates at the top of long driveways, which gives the neighborhood its privacy. Buyers who want a staffed guard gate nearby usually look at North Ranch Country Club Estates on Lakeview Canyon Road instead.
How much do homes in High Country cost?
Finished estates sold for about $3.5M to $11.2M in 2024 to 2026. The 1990s and 2000s originals of roughly 4,900 to 7,100 square feet traded around $3.5M to $4.5M, while new 8,000 to 11,000 square foot builds closed at about $8.1M to $11.2M. Vacant two to three acre lots sold for about $1.7M to $2.1M in 2026.
Can you still buy a lot and build in High Country?
Yes. About 46 of the 68 lots are built and the rest are vacant or under construction, so land trades alongside finished homes. Expect part of a two acre lot to be slope rather than usable flat pad, budget seriously for grading, and ask the association about architectural review before you break ground.
What schools serve High Country?
High Country is in the Conejo Valley Unified School District and feeds Westlake Hills Elementary, Colina Middle School and Westlake High School. Westlake Hills and Westlake High are both highly rated on GreatSchools. Because North Ranch is split among several elementaries, confirm the assignment for your specific address directly with the district.
Is High Country in Thousand Oaks or Westlake Village?
Both, in a sense. The mailing address is Westlake Village 91362, but every parcel is inside the City of Thousand Oaks in Ventura County. Thousand Oaks handles permits, police and fire, trash and city services, and Ventura County issues the property tax bill. The separate Los Angeles County city of Westlake Village is across the county line.
Does buying in High Country include North Ranch Country Club membership?
No. The club is private and entirely separate from the neighborhood and its HOA. Living above the course gives you the view, not the tee times. Membership has its own initiation fee and dues, so budget for it separately if golf, racquet sports or the athletic center is part of your plan.
Thinking about High Country?
Whether you are weighing a move here or wondering what your home would bring, Davis and the team are happy to talk it through, street by street. No obligation.
Sources
- City of Thousand Oaks HOA registry (GIS)
- City of Thousand Oaks public parcel layer
- Conejo Valley Unified School District attendance boundaries
- Redfin public sold export, North Ranch
- North Ranch Country Club membership
- GreatSchools: Westlake Hills Elementary
- GreatSchools: Westlake High School
- GreatSchools: Colina Middle School
- North Ranch Country Club course history
- Golfpass: North Ranch Country Club 2024 renovation
Facts checked October 2026.
