Nea Erythraia

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Nea Erythraia Νέα Ερυθραία

Location

Coordinates	38°5′N 23°49′E / 38.083, 23.817Coordinates: 38°5′N 23°49′E / 38.083, 23.817
Time zone:	EET/EEST (UTC+2/3)
Elevation (center):	310 m (1,017 ft)
Government
Country:	Greece
Periphery:	Attica
Prefecture:	Athens
Districts:	1
Population statistics (as of 2001^[1])
City Proper
- Population:	15,439
- Area:^[2]	4.831 km² (2 sq mi)
- Density:	3,196 /km² (8,277 /sq mi)
Codes
Postal:	146 xx
Area:	210
Auto:	Z
Website
www.dne.gov.gr

Nea Erythraia (Greek: Νέα Ερυθραία), is a suburb in the northeastern part of Athens, Greece. Nea Erythraia is accessed with the GR-1/E75 2.5 km west near the western part of Kifissia with an interchange to Varympompi at the 18th km; the mountains of Parnitha lie to the west, and are forested, and Penteli lies to the east. It is to be found in the northern part of the Athenian plain, and the Proastiakos runs to the west; the area is located about 6 and 9 km N of the Attiki Odos (number 6), S of Thiva and Chalkida, SW of Marathon, W of Rafina and N of Athens. Its main streets are Thiseos Avenue, which links Kifissas Avenue to the south and Kastritsas Street, and a road linking to Varympompi to Thiseos.

The areas around Nea Erythraia were once made up of farmlands, mainly pastures or groves. Suburban housing arrived in the 1970s and continued to develop slowly in the 2000s, mainly to the west. Much of the population live in larger homes and the population is mainly low density, with larger homes to the west. Forests partially covered parts of the area, and are presently west of Nea Erythraia.

The municipality's boundaries are the Penteli ranges to the east and the Cephissus to the west. For many years, Nea Erythraia was home to the senior division of Campion, one of Greece's oldest English-language schools.

On September 14, 2004, the paralympic flame arrived in Nea Erythraia as it travelled from Marathon.

A dramatic forest fire that began from Penteli on the night of Thursday August 16, 2007, entered the forests of the area and residential areas, burning fewer buildings than in Penteli. Rarely were any fires towering, and even the fires as far east as Penteli were still seen. Firefighters along with a few helicopters battled the blaze for a few hours, which later came to an end. The fire was arson related.