The rapid growth and prosperity of the Bull Durham Tobacco Company, and Washington Duke's W. Duke & Sons Tobacco Company, resulted in the rapid growth of the city of Durham. While the tobacco industry dominated the city's economy initially, the establishment of multiple textile mills, particularly in East and West Durham, soon rivaled it. Much of the early city architecture, both commercial and residential, dates from the period of 1890–1930.

Durham quickly developed a vibrant Black community, the center of which was an area known as 'Hayti' (pronounced HAY-tie), just south of the center of town, where some of the most prominent and successful black-owned businesses in the country during the early 20th century were established. These businesses — the best known of which are North Carolina Mutual Insurance Company and Mechanics & Farmers' Bank — were centered on Parrish St., which would come to be known as "Black Wall Street."

Durham's growth began to rekindle during the 1970s and 1980s, with the construction of multiple housing developments in the southern part of the city, nearest Research Triangle Park, and the beginnings of downtown revitalization. After the departure of the tobacco industry, large-scale renovations of the historic factories into offices, condominiums, and restaurants reshaped downtown. Extensive revitalization of the historic downtown has brought an influx of restaurants, condominiums and entertainment venues.

Durham is considered one of the cultural leaders in North Carolina. Events include jazz festivals, blues festivals, symphony concerts, art exhibitions, and a multitude of cultural expositions, including the American Dance Festival and the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. A center of Durham's culture is its Carolina Theater, which shows both live performances and films, primarily independent releases. Notable dining establishments are primarily concentrated in the Ninth Street, Brightleaf, and University Drive areas.

There is a resurgence of restaurants in and around the downtown area, including several new restaurants in the American Tobacco District. The Nasher Museum of Art opened in October 2005 and has produced nationally recognized traveling exhibitions of global, contemporary art.

Collegiate athletics are a primary focus in Durham. Duke University's men's basketball team draws a large following, selling out every home game at Cameron Indoor Stadium for 317 straight. The fans are known as the Cameron Crazies and are known nationwide for their chants and rowdiness. The team has won the NCAA Division I championship twice since 2001 and four times overall. Duke competes in a total of 26 sports in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

North Carolina Central University's athletic program began to transition to Division I in 2005 and has begun competing in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. NCCU has won CIAA championships in football, volleyball, and cross-country for two consecutive years, in addition to the 1989 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship.

Durham's professional sports team is the Durham Bulls International League baseball team. A movie involving the franchise, Bull Durham, was produced in 1988. The Bulls play in the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, on the southern end of downtown, constructed in 1994. Now with one of the newest stadiums in the minor leagues, the Bulls usually generate an annual attendance of around 500,000.

Public education in Durham is provided by Durham Public Schools. Durham owns 45 schools, including a school for hospitalized children. Durham also is home to the state run residential high school North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics.

DURHAM DEMOGRAPHICS

So here you are. You have made your choice to move to North Carolina, specifically to the Greater Research Triangle area. Good choice! Many people have decided that living here will provide the very best lifestyle available, including buying a home in Durham, landing the best employment and even finding the best schools and/or or higher education. Thousands of people have made the decision to relocate to the Research Triangle, just like you. A newcomer will find why the Greater Research Triangle has ranked as one of the best regions in North Carolina to live or work, to buy the best real estate, to start a business, to raise a family, or even to retire.

THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN DURHAM

Exploring life in Durham is a good decision, and here are fun things to know:
*Bull City - Durham was nicknamed the "Bull City" in the late 1800s when the Blackwell Tobacco Company named its product "Bull" Durham Tobacco. By the time James B. Duke of the American Tobacco Company purchased the Blackwell Tobacco Company in 1898, Bull Durham was the most famous trademark in the world.
*Duke University - is a world-class research institution. It began as Trinity College. In 1887, Trinity College moved from Randolph County to Durham. Washington Duke and Julian Carr donated money and land to facilitate the move. Following a $40 million donation by Washington Duke's son, James Buchanan Duke, Trinity College was renamed Duke University in 1924.
*North Carolina Central University - In 1910, Dr. James E. Shepard founded North Carolina Central University, the nation's first publicly supported liberal arts college for African-Americans.
*The Durham Bulls - are a hometown favorite and even a national legacy. The movie Bull Durham, starring Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, brought national attention to the team. The Bulls began play in 1902 as the Durham Tobacconists. Today, the AAA affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays plays in award winning Durham Bulls Athletic Park and is recognized as one of the most successful minor league baseball teams, drawing over 500,000 fans each year.
*The American Tobacco Campus - is located beside the Durham Bulls Triple-A baseball park, adjacent to the new 2,800-seat performing arts center, and bordered by the highly traveled NC-147. The campus features an on-site YMCA, public green space, biking trails, and five restaurants. American Tobacco is home to some of the most prominent businesses in the region, including the nationally recognized public broadcasting station, WUNC Radio.
*The Carolina Theatre - is dedicated to presenting vibrant, thought-provoking film and live performances that contribute to the cultural and economic vitality of downtown Durham and the Triangle Region.
*Durham Performing Arts Center - located in the American Tobacco Historic District next to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, a new live entertainment theater like no other. Specifically designed to present the biggest shows on tour, DPAC, the Durham Performing Arts Center puts you close to the stage and allows you to experience live performances in an entirely new way. Shows and events from Broadway to Concerts, Comedy to Family Shows have propelled the DPAC into one of the top 10 in theatre ticket sales in the U.S.
*Research Triangle Park - now the world's largest university-related research park was carved from Durham pinelands as a special Durham County tax district. Research Triangle Park is encompassed on three sides by the City of Durham, with a small portion now spilling into Wake County toward Cary and Morrisville. Nearly 140 major research and development companies, including Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline, IBM, Underwriters Laboratories, and agencies such as the EPA, employ more than 45,000.
*Bennett Place - Seventeen days after Lee surrendered his army at Appomattox, Union General Sherman and Confederate General Johnston negotiated the largest surrender and the end of the Civil War at Bennett Place.
*North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics - is a two-year, public residential high school located in Durham, focusing on the intensive study of science, mathematics and technology. The school accepts rising juniors from across North Carolina and enrolls them through senior year. Though NCSSM is a public school, enrollment is limited, and applicants undergo a highly competitive review process prior to admission. Since its inception, NCSSM has been fully funded by the state, meaning no student is required to pay any tuition, room, board, or other student fees.
*The Sarah P. Duke Gardens - consist of approximately 55-acres of landscaped and wooded areas at Duke University. There are five miles of allées, walks, and pathways throughout the gardens. The gardens are divided into four parts, the Historic Core, the H.L Blomquist Garden of Native Plants, the Culberson Asiatic Arboretum and the Page White Garden. The gardens are a memorial to Sarah P. Duke, wife of Benjamin N. Duke, one of Duke University's benefactors.
*Museum of Life and Science - is a science museum featuring an array of largely hands-on exhibits intended to illustrate concepts of natural science. The museum exists on some 80-acres, along with the Butterfly House, Farmyard, Grayson's Cafe, Train, Explore the Wild nature park, Catch the Wind, and Dinosaur Trail. The museum features both indoor and outdoor learning environments.
*American Dance Festival - is a six and four-week school for dance and a six-week summer festival of modern dance performances, currently held at Duke University and the Durham Performing Arts Center. Numerous dance works have premiered at the American Dance Festival. Modern dance choreographers and companies including José Limón, Pearl Lang, Bella Lewitzky, Sophie Maslow, Alwin Nikolais, Merce Cunningham, Ruth Currier, Erick Hawkins, Paul Taylor, Alvin Ailey, Twyla Tharp, Eiko & Koma, Seán Curran and Pilobolus have all given performances there.
*American Tobacco Trail - is a 20-mile long Rails-to-Trails project running along an abandoned railroad bed originally built for the American Tobacco Company in the 1970s. The route crosses through the City of Durham, Durham County, Chatham County, and Wake County.
*Nasher Museum of Art - is the Art museum of Duke University, and is located on Duke's campus. The $24 million museum was designed by architect Rafael Viñoly and opened on October 2, 2005. The first year after opening, the museum drew almost 100,000 visitors. The museum, named for Raymond Nasher, and directed by Kimerly Rorschach, contains more than 13,000 works of art in its collection.
*Eno River State Park - is a 3,900-acre North Carolina state park along the banks of the ancient Eno River. Along with the adjoining West Point on the Eno Durham city park, over 9-miles of the scenic river is preserved in its natural habitat. Native American of the Eno, Shakori and Occoneechee tribes lived along the river prior to the arrival of European settlers. The Eno River is well known for the Festival for the Eno, which on average brings 30,000 visitors to the river on the three-day event in July. The festival includes music, crafts, food, and environmental awareness. All proceeds go to the conservation of the Eno River and surrounding areas.
*Duke Homestead Museum - Duke Homestead was originally owned by Washington Duke in the 19th century. After the American Civil War, the family shifted from tobacco farming to tobacco processing, eventually establishing the American Tobacco Company in 1890, the largest tobacco company in the world until an antitrust suit broke it up in 1911. In 1931, the farm was purchased by Duke University, and in 1966, the Duke Homestead was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service. It became a North Carolina State Historic Site in 1974, administered by the North Carolina State Division of Archives and History. Today, Duke Homestead State Historic Site is a museum where tourists can view the restored 1852 Duke Homestead with four furnished rooms, tobacco barns and various artifacts. The visitor center features the Tobacco Museum, with exhibits about tobacco farming, processing and the history of tobacco. Various readings and presentations are available in the Visitor Center.

*ACCOLADES
Best Tasting Tap Water
North Carolina American Water Works Association and Water Environment Association, 2010
100 Best Communities for Young People - America’s Promise Alliance,
2010 Bicycle Friendly Community Award - League of American Bicyclists, 2010
#10 Where Americans Spend the Most - Forbes Magazine, 2010
#6 Healthiest Market Among the Top 100 U.S. Housing Markets - Hanley Wood Market Intelligence, 2010
#5 Top 100 Places to Live - Relocate-America, 2009
#19 for job-growth potential - NewGeography.com 2009
#3 Best Place for Business and Careers - Forbes Magazine, 2009
#11 in the Nation for Keeping Jobs - American City Business Journal, 2009
Downtown Durham - One of the Nation's 15 Up-and-Coming Neighborhoods - Business Week, 2008

DURHAM'S GOOD LIFE

It has become almost routine for Durham to be praised as a wonderful place to live.

Residents' testimonials, articles and various organizations bestow glowing reviews and accolades about living here. With these superlatives publicized for so long, the Research Triangle area's fame as a great place to live has been a magnet attracting people, like you, to explore and relocate.

This sense of the Durham good life is expressed on the website of the City of Durham:
"Consistently ranked by regional and national media as one of the top places to live and do business in the United States, Durham is not only a place where great things happen but also an open and welcoming place to call home. Durham residents are accepting, culturally diverse, community-spirited, and passionate. Most telling, opinion polls confirm that nearly 80% of Durhamites are proud of their hometown."

DURHAM'S NEIGHBORS

Durham is one of 32 sister communities in the Greater Research Triangle region:

Angier
Apex
Benson
Butner
Carrboro
Cary
Chapel Hill
Clayton
Creedmoor
Durham
Franklinton
Fuquay-Varina
Garner
Henderson
Hillsborough
Holly Springs
Knightdale
Louisburg
Mebane
Morrisville
Oxford
Pittsboro
Raleigh
Rolesville
RoxboroSelma
Siler City
Smithfield
Wake Forest
Wendell
Youngsville
Zebulon

WHY MOVE TO DURHAM?

Durham and her neighboring communities share several common benefits. The first great reason to live in the Greater Research Triangle is a wonderful climate. Spring and summer are filled with a bouquet of blossoms that flood the visual and olfactory senses.

Parks and beautiful homes treat citizens and visitors alike with colors as if from the palette of a great landscape painter. The fall blazes with glorious colors so awesome that it almost takes your breath away. The winters are mild, and every now and then, the students get a day off for a light snow. It rarely gets below freezing. How could anyone not like the weather and climate in Durham, North Carolina?

The second reason to live in Durham is that it is a great place to buy a home. Durham real estate is affordable. Newcomers can choose between well-established homes for sale or new homes in outstanding new home communities. You can choose a lot and build a custom home. Simply select a homebuilder from the many in Greater Research Triangle. A qualified REALTOR®, real estate agent, mortgage broker or loan officer can assist in the home purchase process and can guide you through the process of finding and buying real estate in Durham.

Schools are another reason Greater Research Triangle is a wonderful place to live. Oh yeah - families especially love the schools in Durham. In fact, some of the best schools in Greater Research Triangle are found in Durham. Durham is serviced by [Durham Public Schools, frequently cited for several outstanding programs. Durham schools are considered safe places for students. But there are not only excellent public schools in Durham, but outstanding private schools, as well.

EDUCATION IN DURHAM
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
To better help you select the best schools in Durham, North Carolina, read what Durham Public Schools says on its website:
"A public school system with two elementary Montessori schools, a health sciences academy, its own School of the Arts, and many more offerings. That’s Durham Public Schools, a school district where parents have educational choices for their children.
"A District of Achievement - DPS is a leader in the state for its small high school options. And the district has three National Middle Schools to Watch, among only 29 middle schools in North Carolina to achieve this recognition. Middle and high school improvement has been at the forefront for DPS, and the district has the results to prove this.
"Advanced Academics- Raising achievement for all students is the key priority in DPS. This includes a focus on Advanced Academics to ensure that more academically rigorous offerings will be made available to a greater number of students. Science also is getting a boost in DPS, with new initiatives and partnerships to improve science education. Durham’s reputation as an arts community is clearly reflected in our schools, where students are performing and pursuing the arts throughout the school year."

LIST OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS WITH A DURHAM ADDRESS

Elementary Schools in Durham:
Bethesda Elementary School
Burton Elementary School
Club Boulevard Elementary School
Creekside Elementary School
Easley Elementary School
Eastway Elementary School
Eno Valley Elementary School
Fayetteville Street Elementary School
Forest View Elementary School
Glenn Elementary School
R.N. Harris Elementary School
Hillandale Elementary School
Holt Elementary School
Hope Valley Elementary School
Lakewood Elementary School
Little River Elementary School
Mangum Elementary School
Merrick-Moore Elementary School
Oak Grove Elementary School
Parkwood Elementary School
W.G. Pearson Elementary School
Pearsontown Elementary School
E.K. Powe Elementary School
Y.E. Smith Elementary School
Southwest Elementary School
C.C. Spaulding Elementary School
Spring Valley Elementary School
George Watts Elementary School

Middle Schools in Durham:
Brogden Middle School
Carrington Middle School
Chewning Middle School
Githens Middle School
Lakewood Middle School
Lowe’s Grove Middle School
Neal Middle School
W.G. Pearson Middle School
Rodgers-Herr Middle School
Shepard Middle School

High Schools in Durham:
City of Medicine Academy
Durham School of the Arts
Hillside High School
Jordan High School
Lakeside High School
Northern High School
Riverside High School
Southern High School

CHARTER SCHOOLS IN NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina charter schools are independent public schools that exist to offer Durham students, parents and educators choices in teaching, learning methods and environments. An emphasis is placed on innovation and accountability with improved student achievement the common goal.

There are now nearly 5,000 public charter schools in 39 states and the District of Columbia, educating more than 1.6 million public charter school students. North Carolina public charter schools are intended to improve North Carolina's traditional public school system.

Any Durham charter school, while independently operated, must meet four requirements, like any other North Carolina public school:
*Tuition-free and open to every student who wishes to enroll
*Non-sectarian, and do not discriminate on any basis
*Publicly funded by local, state and federal tax dollars like other public schools
*Held accountable to state and federal academic standards

LIST OF CHARTER SCHOOLS IN DURHAM:

Carter Community Charter Schools, grades K-8
Healthy Start Academy Charter School, grades K-8
Kestrel Heights Charter School, grades, K-12Maureen Joy Charter School, grades K-8
Research Triangle Charter Academy, grades K-8
The Central Park School for Children, grades K-5
Voyager Academy, grades 4-8

PRIVATE SCHOOLS WITH A DURHAM ADDRESS

Private schools, also known as independent schools or non-state schools, are not administered by Durham, North Carolina, or the Federal government; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students tuition, rather than relying on public funding. Durham students can get a scholarship into a private school, which makes the cost cheaper, depending on a talent the student may have, such as a sport scholarship, art scholarship, academic scholarship.

List of Private Schools in Durham:

Agape Corner School, grades K-9, 11
Bethesda Christian Academy, grades K-8
Camelot Academy, grades K-12
Carolina Friends School, grades PK-12
Cresset Christian Academy, grades PK-12
Duke School for Children, grades PK-8
Duke School, grades K-8
Durham Academy, grades PK-12
Faith Assembly Christian Academy, grades K-12
Fellowship Baptist Academy, grades PK-12
Five Oaks Seventh-Day Adventist School, grades PK-2, 5-8
Gorman Christian Academy & Early Childhood Education Center, grades PK-8
Immaculate Catholic School, grades PK-8
Lerner Jewish Community Day School, grades PK-5
Liberty Christian School, grades PK-12
Montessori Children's House of Durham, PK-6
Montessori Community School, grades PK-8
Mount Zion Christian Academy, grades K-12Quality Education Institute Of, grades PK-5
St, Sya Academy, grades PK-10
Tabernacle of Life Christian School, grades K-4, 7-9, 12
The B E School, grades PK-8
The Hill Center, grades 1-12
Triangle Day School, grades K-8
Trinity School, grades PK-12
Tutorial -1/2 Christian School, grades K-2
Ufc Day School, grades K-3
Young Transitions Learning, grades K-9

COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES IN AND NEAR DURHAM

Higher education in the Greater Research Triangle region is another great reason to live in Durham, North Carolina. The local colleges and universities contribute more than just classrooms, by also bringing the best in sports and cultural offerings to the Research Triangle communities at large. If your life calls for upper level learning, choose from the following list of universities, colleges and community colleges:

Duke University
Durham Technical Community College
Johnston Community College
Louisburg College
Meredith College
North Carolina Central University
North Carolina State University
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
St. Augustine’s College
Shaw University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Vance-Granville Community College
Wake Technical Community College
William Peace CollegeUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

VIEW THE COMPLETE EDUCATION DIRECTORY:

PUBLIC & PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Welcome Here Magazine provides a full listing of the schools in the Greater Research Triangle region: all public schools, most private schools and all institutions of higher learning. You can review each school's website, enrollment figures and phone numbers. But that's not all. You can save a ton of time because we have already done the digging for you. Those hard to find school test scores and safety data are at your fingertips for each public school. The facts are the most current available. It's now fast and easy to compare schools and even school systems.

Need to find the right school and then the right home in that school's district? In an Internet first, Welcome Here Magazine offers Home Report , found throughout Welcome Here Magazine. You can learn about homes for sale in the attendance zone of any Durham public school, or even private schools by desired distance from your potential new Durham home. Home Report is free, with no obligation. Your name and information is private and secure.

Home Report can be accessed on the top of the frame surrounding this article. So, whether you are researching the Greater Research Triangle region and getting a feel for living here, or if you are learning about your education options, or if you have definitely decided to purchase a home in Durham, even if only from across town- congratulations, and...