Dam East

Dam East is a residential area with single family homes, condominiums, and apartments. The name is derived from it's close proximity to Cherry Creek Reservoir, the dam that is just across Parker Road and I-225. This area of town is typically very busy with traffic and the highway here can get very congested, especially during rush hour and peak travel times. While the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is working to upgrade this area of the highway, it's so far been pretty slow going. They have been doing improvements from where I-225 meets I-70, and at that end of this short highway it has greatly improved traffic. They are slowly making their way south, so hopefully in the next year or two it will be finished. As they are also improving on and off ramps as they go, it is taking a while. Two of the other major roads that border this neighborhood, Peoria Street and Iliff Avenue, are also major roads which travel through Aurora and can get very busy. This is probably one of the biggest drawbacks to this neighborhood.

Many of the homes here were built in the early 1970s to the mid 1980s, although there are much newer places to be found in the form of condos and duplexes. The homes are currently going for anywhere from the mid $100,000s to the mid $200,000, although like elsewhere in Colorado you can find pretty good foreclosure deals throughout the neighborhood. My brother-in-law just moved out of a newer duplex just off of Iliff Avenue which was rather new and very nice, but cost about the same as one of the older homes.

Within the neighborhood is Heather Ridge Country Club, which has a golf course and a nice clubhouse area. This club was private for over 30 years but was purchased in 2010 and became a public course. I was there for a wedding when it was still private and it was a lovely venue with excellent food and a nice backdrop with the greens and lovely older trees. I haven't been back since I it has turned public, but I imagine it's as good as it was a few years ago.

This neighborhood is just down the road from the Medical Center of Aurora, a really good hospital. It is also just about 10 minutes away from two other very good hospitals. There is a mall nearby and numerous strip malls in the area. There are a few restaurants, but within a short drive there are many more options. This area is also very close to the stop for the light rail, which can take people down south to Park Meadows mall area or up north to Denver. There are also numerous bus stops so this area is a good one for public transport.