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In 2006 my wife and I moved onto S. Harrison Way shortly before the birth of our first child. The neighborhood, The Knolls, is one of those that has a pool, tennis courts, and a very active social committee all included in your HOA dues. That's what we wanted in a long-term home and I must say that we are extremely happy with our choice.

S. Harrison Way is the starting point for the annual Fourth of July parade, so be prepared in the morning to either participate or at the very least get to the front yard to watch.

There's a mixture of residents from the young couples like my family to the original owners who have lived there for over 34 years! Trees and landscaping are mature and peaceful as long as we don't have any major snow storms that break the branches! But the HOA does a wonderful job at getting snow plows on the streets after every major snow storm so unlike many surrounding communities, we have no problem driving in the winter.

Yard size is about average for the area with most homes on a 1/4 acre or more. The homes were build by Writer in the early 1970s and there is a mix of traditional two-story, ranch, tri-level, and even some bi-level homes. Writer is perhaps best known in the area as the developer of Willow Creek and is considered one of the best home builders in the day. (Writer has since been purchased by Standard Pacific homes).

The street is off the main throughway in the neighborhood so traffic isn't much of a problem, even the high school kids seem to mostly respect and obey the speed limit. The southern portion of Harrison backs to Colorado Blvd. and while it's not a super busy road, there can be some street noise. From the upstairs bathroom in my home I can actually hear traffic from Colorado AND Dry Creek Roads, but if I close the window it becomes totally quite.

You can learn more about The Knolls at TheKnollsHomes.com.

Cherrybrook Circle is one of the many streets in the subdivision known as Firelight at Highlands Ranch. The homes are all built by Shea Homes and include five different models, each with three different elevations/styles in the Shea Homes Winding River collection.

Homes were first built in 2000 and the final homes were finished in 2005 when the model homes were sold (on Woodbriar Drive) and the parking lot to the models was turned into two final homes.

One side of Cherrybrook Circle borders the very busy Wildcat Reserve Parkway, and homes that back to that major road will suffer from street noise constantly. It doesn't help that the average lot size for homes on Cherrybrook Cir. is around 4,500 square feet, meaning that a "large" yard here is only about the size of a 1000 square foot basement.

The other, southern side of Cherrybrook Circle is far enough from Wildcat Reserve to eliminate the traffic noise and about a dozen or so homes even back to the Firelight greenbelt and park area. Still, their back yards are excrushiatingly small.

The first home my wife and I purchased in 2001 was on the southern side of the circle and though we didn't back to the greenbelt, we had a fantastic south-facing front porch and could sun bath 300 days per year and walk just 100 yards to the local park and trail system.

The location is ideal for anyone with school-age children. The elementary, middle, and high schools can be walked to on the greenbelt path without crossing any major roads. Copper Mesa Elementary school is only a couple of years old and is considered one of the best in the Douglas County School District.

Within a half mile in either direction there's a big park with sports fields, playground equipment, etc. and about a mile away is the grocery store, fast food, and other convenient services.

Even better is the proximity to the Highlands Ranch Recreation Centers, Southridge being the closest at about 1/5 miles away.

Back to the homes...

They range in size from about 1,400 to 2,000 square feet and feature some very nice ammenities. There is a fair share of original owners still but also a fair share of renters that sometimes lack the pride of ownership many home buyers prefer in their neighbors.

I've actually compiled a lot more information on homes that have sold on Cherrybrook Circle and the rest of Firelight at Highlands Ranch on my website, MikeSellsFirelight.com.