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Welcome to Durham, North Carolina.
Durham is a city in Durham County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Durham County, the home of Duke University, North Carolina Central University, Durham Technical Community College, and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics.
It is also a cornerstone of the Research Triangle region of North Carolina. The 2004 Durham-Chapel Hill Metropolitan Statistical Area population was: 451,212 as July 1, 2004.
Durham Skyline. Photo courtesy of Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau, 2000
Durham originated in 1853 with the search for a suitable railroad depot for the North Carolina Railroad between Wilson and Hillsborough. An earlier post office known as Herndon's existed in the area from 1827, and another at nearby Prattsburg was established in 1836. The landowners at Prattsburg refused to sell land to the railroad. Somewhat further to the northwest, a country physician named Bartlett S. Durham lived and practiced along the route. He donated land to the railroad, which named the subsequent depot Durham Station.
Durham developed a vibrant African-American community. The center of the African-American community was an area known as 'Hayti' , just south of the center of town, and members of the African-American community established some of the most prominent and successful African-American-owned businesses in the country during the early 20th century. These businesses, the best known of which are North Carolina Mutual Insurance Co., and Mechanics & Farmers' Bank, were centered on Parrish St., which would come to be known as "Black Wall Street".
Durham's fortunes declined during the mid-twentieth century. Textile mills began to close during the 1930s, and competition from other tobacco companies (as well as decreased smoking after the 1960s) reduced revenues to Durham's tobacco industry. Although the region benefitted significantly from the establishment of Research Triangle Park in 1958, Durham did not experience the same early increases in housing development as did neighboring Raleigh and Cary. Suburban flight also contributed to the slow, but progressive decline of downtown Durham as a retail and economic center.
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. In 1975, the St. Joseph's Historical Foundation at the Hayti Heritage Center was incorperated to "preserve the heritage of the old Hayti community, and to promote the understanding of and appreciation for the African American experience and African Americans' contributions to world culture".
Durham's most famous 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, south of downtown, constructed in 1994. Designed by HOK-Sport, the designers of Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, the stadium has 10,000 seats.
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Local daily news in Durham:
NC candidates for governor prepare for live debate
North Carolina's gubernatorial candidates are preparing for their first live, televised debate.
Teen dies from injuries at motorcycle race
A 14-year-old from Bermuda is dead and another teen is recovering after a motorcycle crash during a race at Virginia International Raceway in Alton.
Search of Mini Mart nets heroin, arrest
Police arrested a Durham man after a search of a convenience store netted 14 baggies of heroin and a handgun.
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Places of interest:
Gorman, NC (7.0 miles), Chapel Hill, NC (10.1 miles), Morrisville, NC (12.4 miles), Carrboro, NC (13.0 miles), Butner, NC (14.5 miles), Hillsborough, NC (14.8 miles), Cary, NC (16.3 miles), Fearrington, NC (17.6 miles).
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