Durham, North Carolina

Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the 4th-most populous city in North Carolina and 70th-most populous city in the United States with a population of 283,506 at the 2020 census. The city is located in the east-central part of the Piedmont region along the Eno River.

A railway depot was established in 1849 on land donated by Bartlett S. Durham, the eponym of the city. Following the American Civil War, the community of Durham Station expanded rapidly, in part due to the tobacco industry. The town was incorporated by act of the North Carolina General Assembly in April 1869. The establishment of Durham County was ratified by the General Assembly 12 years later, in 1881. It became known as the founding place and headquarters of the American Tobacco Company. Textile and electric power industries also played an important role.

Durham is home to several recognized institutions of higher education, most notably Duke University and North Carolina Central University. Durham is also a national leader in health-related activities, which are focused on the Duke University Hospital and many private companies. Duke and its Duke University Health System are the largest employers in the city. North Carolina Central University is a historically black university that is part of the University of North Carolina System. Together, the two universities make Durham one of the vertices of the Research Triangle area; central to this is the Research Triangle Park south of Durham, which encompasses an area of 11 square miles and is devoted to research facilities.

On the Duke University campus are the neo-Gothic Duke Chapel, the Nasher Museum of Art and the Wallace Wade Stadium. Other notable sites in the city include the Museum of Life and Science, Durham Performing Arts Center, Carolina Theatre, and Duke Homestead and Tobacco Factory. Bennett Place commemorates the location where Joseph E. Johnston surrendered to William T. Sherman in the American Civil War. The city is served, along with Raleigh, by Raleigh–Durham International Airport.

History

The Eno and Occoneechi peoples, related to the Sioux and Shakori, lived in the area that became Durham. They may have established a village named Adshusheer. In 1701, explorer John Lawson documented the area. Scots, Irish, and English settlers arrived in the mid-1700s.

Before railroads, Durham was mostly farmland with a few businesses for travelers. Large plantations were established, and African slaves worked on these farms. Durham’s growth began when a railroad depot was established in 1849 on land donated by Dr. Bartlett Durham. The town was named after him and became an official town in 1869.

After the Civil War, Durham’s tobacco industry grew quickly. The Bull Durham Tobacco Factory became famous, and the city expanded. In 1911, Durham County was created from parts of Orange and Wake Counties.

In the early 1900s, Durham grew with tobacco and electric power companies. Textile mills also opened, doubling the city’s population. Many historic buildings were built during this time.

Durham had a strong African-American community. In 1910, North Carolina Central University was founded. In the 1950s and 1960s, Durham was important in the civil rights movement. Sit-ins were held to fight for equal rights.

Since the 1970s, Durham has grown again. The Research Triangle Park brought new jobs. Old tobacco buildings were turned into homes and businesses. Downtown Durham has been renewed with new restaurants, shops, and offices.

Geography

Durham is found in the east-central part of the Piedmont region at 35°59′19″N 78°54′26″W / 35.98861°N 78.90722°W / 35.98861; -78.90722. The land there is mostly flat with some gentle rolling hills.

As of 2022, Durham covered an area of 116.19 square miles (300.9 km²), with most of it being land and a small part being water. The soil in Durham is mostly clay, which is not great for growing crops. The Eno River, a smaller river that flows into the Neuse River, runs through the northern part of the city. Durham sits between two big river areas, with one heading east toward the Pamlico Sound and the other heading south toward the Cape Fear River near Wilmington. A tiny part of Durham is in Wake County.

Durham is close to several other cities. It is 16.1 kilometres (10 miles) northeast of Chapel Hill, 34 kilometres (21 miles) northwest of Raleigh, 80 kilometres (50 miles) east of Greensboro, 195 kilometres (121 miles) northeast of Charlotte, and 216 kilometres (134 miles) southwest of Richmond, Virginia.

Climate

Durham has a humid subtropical climate, meaning it has hot, sticky summers and cool winters. The city gets a lot of rain, especially during summer storms, with temperatures often between 27 to 38 °C (81 to 100 °F). Durham usually gets about 7 inches (18 cm) of snow each year, which melts quickly.

Because of climate change, Durham may see more heavy rain and a few more days of flooding in the future. This could affect older people and others who might need extra help. The area is also expected to have more intense summer storms over the next years.

Demographics

Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, there were 283,506 people living there. By 2022, the population had grown to about 291,844.

The city has a mix of people from many backgrounds. About 41% are White, 35% are Black or African American, and smaller groups include Asian, Native American, and people of two or more races. About 14% of the people are Hispanics or Latinos.

Many families live in Durham. About a quarter of households have children under 18, and another quarter have seniors over 65. The median age is 35 years. The city has a good median income, with many people doing well financially, though some still live below the poverty line.

Durham has many different religions. The most common is Christianity, with many people being Southern Baptist, Non-denominational Christian, Catholic, United Methodist, Wesleyan, and Presbyterian. There are also Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Sikh, Baháʼí, and Hindu communities in the city.

Economy

Duke University and the Duke University Health System are the biggest places that employ people in Durham.

Arts and culture

Durham, North Carolina, is a lively place for the arts and culture. You can visit interesting spots like the Bennett Place, Duke Homestead, Hayti Heritage Centre, Museum of Durham History, Museum of Life and Science, Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, NCCU Art Museum, and West Point Mill.

The city has many fun events, such as the Bull Durham Blues Festival and the OUTsouth Queer Film Festival, which shows movies from many places. Durham also has jazz festivals, plays, concerts, and art shows. Some famous movies like Bull Durham and The Handmaid's Tale were filmed here.

Durham has a rich music scene with many different kinds of music, from jazz and hip-hop to blues and rock. Famous musicians and bands, like Branford Marsalis and Iron & Wine, have ties to the city. There are also record labels and radio stations that help support local artists. The Eno River Festival happens every year and features lots of musical performances.

Durham is also a great place for visual arts. The Nasher Museum of Art and a 21c Museum Hotel show wonderful artwork. The Durham Art Walk is an annual festival where artists display their work in the streets. The Durham School of the Arts is a special school that teaches students about visual and performing arts.

Sports

Durham is a great place for sports fans! Duke University's men's basketball team is very popular and plays at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The team has won several big championships and has very excited fans called the Cameron Crazies.

Durham also has a professional baseball team called the Durham Bulls. They play at Durham Bulls Athletic Park and often have many fans watching their games. The team has helped many players move on to play in the big leagues. The old Durham Athletic Park is still used for other sports and events.

Government and politics

Durham runs under a council-manager system. It has a mayor and a city council. Council members serve four-year terms, and mayors are elected every two years. The mayor leads council meetings and makes some appointments, but the city manager handles most day-to-day tasks.

In November 2021, Elaine O’Neal became Durham’s first black female mayor. The current mayor is Leonardo Williams, elected in November 2023. Durham is part of North Carolina’s 4th congressional district, represented by Valerie Foushee.

The area supports the Democratic Party and has since its founding in 1869. Durham County is one of the most liberal areas in North Carolina. Important local issues include improving downtown and neighborhoods, ending cash bail, supporting fair wages, and many other community-focused goals.

Education

Public schools in Durham are managed by the Durham Public Schools, which is the eighth-largest school district in North Carolina. The district has 46 schools, including elementary, middle, and high schools. Some special schools focus on areas like art and medicine. There are also schools that accept students from all over North Carolina who are interested in science and math.

Durham is home to several colleges and universities. Duke University is one of the largest, with around 14,000 students. North Carolina Central University is a public university that was founded to support the local community. There is also a community college called Durham Technical Community College that offers two-year programs.

Media

See also: List of newspapers in North Carolina, List of radio stations in North Carolina, and List of television stations in North Carolina

Durham’s main daily newspaper is The Herald-Sun, which started publishing in 1893. Another newspaper, The Independent Weekly, gives news and entertainment stories from the Research Triangle area and began in 1983. There is also The Triangle Tribune, a weekly paper for the African-American community, which started in 1998. Duke University’s student paper, The Chronicle, covers local news too.

Durham is part of the Raleigh–Durham–Fayetteville TV market, which is the 24th biggest in the United States. WTVD, owned by ABC, is based in Durham. The public television service UNC-TV has its studios in Research Triangle Park. All major TV networks have stations that serve the area.

Durham is also part of the Raleigh–Durham radio market. The national radio service WUNC, based in Chapel Hill, has important offices in the American Tobacco Historic District since October 2005.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Freeways and primary routes

Most people in Durham travel by car on streets and highways. Key roads include NC 147, which links Duke University, downtown, and Research Triangle Park, U.S. 15-501 to Chapel Hill, I-85 to Virginia and western North Carolina, and I-40 across southern Durham County. Since the early 1990s, I-40 has been a main area for new homes and businesses. Over 95% of people drive to work, with 14% sharing a ride with others.

Bicycling

Durham has many bike paths and trails and earned an award for being bicycle-friendly. The American Tobacco Trail starts downtown, goes through Research Triangle Park, and ends in Wake County. The city is also working on more bike paths.

Air

Main article: Raleigh–Durham International Airport

Raleigh–Durham International Airport, about 12 miles from Durham, handles around 4.5 million passengers each year. It offers many flights a day to cities like Boston, Charlotte, and New York, plus daily flights to places such as London, Toronto, and Paris.

Intercity rail

Amtrak runs the daily Carolinian train between Charlotte and New York City, stopping in Durham. North Carolina also runs four daily Piedmont trains between Raleigh and Charlotte, also stopping in Durham. A new train station opened in 2011 in a old tobacco building. Some streets cross the train tracks, and one underpass was temporarily closed in 2019 to fix a height problem, though a few accidents still happen.

Public transit

GoDurham runs buses on 21 routes around Durham, centered at the Durham Station Transportation Center that opened in 2009. In 2025, GoDurham had over 6.7 million riders.

GoTriangle provides bus service between Durham and nearby cities like Raleigh, Cary, and Chapel Hill, as well as to the airport, Research Triangle Park, and suburban areas. GoTriangle also has programs for carpooling and sharing rides. National bus service is available from Greyhound and Megabus at the Durham Station Transportation Center.

Duke University has its own bus system, Duke Transit, with over 30 buses on seven routes around the campus and medical facilities.

Plans for a train line from Raleigh through Durham were cancelled in 2019 after costs grew too high.

Transportation safety

Drivers can join Durham’s Pace Car Program to help keep roads safe by following speed limits, stopping at signs and lights, and letting people walk across the street.

Notable people

Durham, North Carolina, has been home to many interesting people. Some of them include Kate Lee Harris Adams, an aviator who served during World War II, and Blind Boy Fuller, a well-known musician.

Other notable individuals from Durham are Ernie Barnes, an artist, and Shirley Caesar, a pastor and gospel singer. The city has also been home to famous sports figures like Mickey Krzyzewski, the former coach of the Duke men’s basketball team, and Tracy McGrady, an NBA player.

Durham has attracted creative minds too, such as The Duffer Brothers, creators of the popular TV series Stranger Things, and Sam Beam, the singer-songwriter from the band Iron & Wine. The city’s rich history and vibrant culture continue to inspire people in many fields.

Sister cities

Durham has several sister cities around the world. These include:

• Arusha in Tanzania
• Celaya in Mexico
• Durham in County Durham, England, United Kingdom
• Kavala in Greece
• Sibiu in Romania
• Tilarán in Costa Rica
• Toyama in Japan
• Zhuzhou in China

After the conflict in Ukraine began in 2022, Durham ended its partnership with Kostroma in Russia, which had started in 1968.