Durham North Carolina?????

Question

Hello, me and my family were considering moving to the East Coast, So we were thinking of Durham. Can anyone tell me what it is like out there, do you like it, whats the weather like etc I have researched it, but i want an personal opinion, and if u want to add some information it would be fantastic! the houses, I have searched are really lovely, and I heard there was an boom, lots of shopping college town etc. So any info would be so greatly appreciated! Thanks

Answer 1

Have you considered Raleigh.  Durham has some issues - Raleigh is a great city minus the issues!  There is a bigger boom in Raleigh than Durham anyway.

Answer 2

I have visited there, and it is actually more boring than living in Seattle.  Other than Duke University, there are no major landmarks in Durham.  It gets hot and humid during the summer, with frequent thunderstorms, and it gets cold during the winter, with snow sometimes.  Durham is not as popular and well-known compared to larger cities such as Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, and Orlando.  But you will see.  

Answer 3

As a North Carolina native who has lived in neighboring Raleigh for over 13 years, I have nothing but good things to say about Durham.  (I live in Raleigh because I work there.  But I'd never hesitate to live in Durham if I had a job there!)

Durham is generally considered one of the South's more "funky" cities.  It is very artistic and progressive for the region.  Lots of large universities in and near it...as well as the famous Research Triangle Park, with its large employers like IBM, Glaxo, EPA, Lenovo, Cisco, and others.  

If you're into nature, Eno River State Park and Umstead State Park, are all very close by, as well as the breathtaking Duke Gardens.

Downtown Durham is very interesting to see...a unique mix of renovated old brick warehouses/factories right alongside modern glass/steel office buildings.  Lots of fine dining, shopping, arts, and nightlife there.  Plus of course the famous Durham Bulls Baseball games.  The restored Historic Carolina Theatre is home to popular film festivals and plays, and the brand-new Durham Performing Arts Center will bring concerts and musicals to downtown in a few months from now.  Downtown is also home to Central Park, and the Durham School of the Arts.  

West of Downtown is historic Ninth Street, which is a cute little walkable strip of shops, cafes and boutiques.  

And Durham is just a short drive from the other neighboring Triangle cities of Raleigh and Chapel Hill/Carrboro...which all offer even more things to do.  

Here are some websites that'll give you more info:

http://we-love-durham.com/

http://www.downtowndurham.com/

http://www.durham-nc.com/

http://www.durhamchamber.org/

Answer 4

First, a question...why Durham???  It still has all the ice, snow, and traffic of a more northern town while being hot and humid in the summer.  At the same time, Durham, being home to Duke University and Duke Hospital is bordered by Chapel Hill and Raleigh, forming a triangle containing two other major universities (UNC and NC State). Additionallly, Research Triangle Park (NC's answer to Silicone Valley) is situated inside of Durhams limits and provides quality employment opportunities. As with other cities, it has its' problems with crime and has gotten sorta a bad rep over that. However, if y'all choose location properly, there shouldn't be a problem. Hope this helped.

Answer 5

Durham is not all that great!  Very high crime rate in parts of town - gang problems, traffic is a mess.  I would consider Chapel Hill, Cary, Winston-Salem, Asheville or Wilmington over Durham.

Answer 6

Nice area if you live on the wealthier side of town. Terrible traffic congestion.  Have you considered Charlottesville or Richmond, VA?  Charlotte or Greensboro, NC?