Downieville-Lawson-Dumont

Downieville-Lawson-Dumont is a row of small communities you pass through on the way to the mountains. You can find gas stations and fast food restaurants, such as the local Burger King here. Depending on the season there can be a lot of traffic or none at all. There are some really cute log cabins here, but there are also some more run down looking buildings that are boarded up. Both the median income and average housing costs are lower here than the rest of the state.

For residents who live here there is quick access to I-70 for skiing or other ventures, although I would find it hard to believe anyone would want to commute to Denver from this far up. There are a lot of tourists in the area, mostly stopping for gas and just to stretch their legs.

Downieville, Lawson and Dumont are very small communities within a mile of each other off I-70 in Clear Creek County. The area is about 20 miles east of the Eisenhower Tunnel and for me has always been a place to pull over and get gas or a hot chocolate before heading deeper into the mountains on the way to skiing or Utah.

There are streets on both sides that parallel the interstate and there are some small neighborhoods with homes scattered along the way. There is a big gas station and a very popular Starbucks. To live here would be cost effective and ideal for a trucker or construction worker that had clients in the surrounding mountain area. Denver is only about 30 minutes to the west and would not present too bad of a commute, even though winter traffic could get really frustrating if you had to tackle it everyday.

Dumont was originally founded as Mill City in 1859 as a mining town and was an important stage coach stop. It was also famous for its ore stamping mills and smelting. When I-70 was being built in Colorado in the late 60's, much of Downieville, Lawson and Dumont were sacrificed to create the interstate. The area is destined to be an 8,000 foot elevation pit stop.