Let’s start with the Pros, as there is a LOT to love about Living in Durham NC.

Pro #1 – Food, Drink & Entertainment Variety

Starting off with perhaps Durham’s best quality is it’s food, drink, and entertainment variety.  

Durham overall has a very boutique, original feel in its’ offerings.  While it still has the chains everyone knows, its’ downtown is filled with these original and unique styled restaurants that have really drawn people.

And it has an incredible diversity of food from different cultures, so regardless of what you like to eat, you’ll find something you’ll enjoy here.  

Durham is also known for it’s cocktail lounges, bars, and breweries.  They pair perfectly with the many restaurants around as spaces to go after dinner, and are seemingly around every corner.

And entertainment wise, there are tons of small town style music and performance venues that play anything and everything, along with the Durham Performing Arts Center that brings the larger acts.  And for sports lovers, the Durham Bulls offer a great way to spend a summer evening.

Pro #2 – Great Downtown

The next pro builds off of the first, as Durham has transformed its’ Downtown into a really cool space over the past 15 years.

Durham’s downtown used to be a place to avoid, but now its’ streets are bustling on weekend nights.

It has transformed its’ American Tobacco Campus into a place that’s great to just spend the afternoon at hanging out with the family.

And, the Durham Central Park is now host to weekly farmer’s markets, has a cool playground for the kids, and a skate park.  It’s really a great space all around.

The biggest changes really for 2024 are just that more and more condos and apartments continue to go up downtown due to the high demand!

Pro #3 – Outdoor Spaces

Speaking of outdoor spaces, the next pro is all about Durham’s great recreational spots.  

If you enjoy hiking, biking, and jogging, Durham is the place for you.  The Eno River trails, located just northwest of Durham, are absolutely amazing and some of the best in the entire area.  And the Duke Forest and American Tobacco trails are great as well.

But, perhaps the best outdoor oasis in the entire area is Duke Gardens.  It’s a massive place that is immaculately maintained and is a perfect place to relax and unwind.

Pro #4 – Progressive

Next up, many people choose Durham because it’s a very progressive city.

Residents of Durham are incredibly accepting of anyone and everyone.  Diversity is accepted, appreciated, and celebrated.  

People are very welcoming and you’ll feel right at home in Durham.  Not that the rest of the Raleigh area is not, but Durham is especially progressive in celebrating diversity.  

Pro #5 – Great For Techies

And the last pro, Durham is a great place for techies. 

For those in the technology, engineering, and research industry, there are tons of jobs in Durham.  It’s home to the world famous Research Triangle Park, which is the nation’s largest technological R&D park and is home to over 250 companies including IBM, Microsoft, Lenovo, and so many more.  

Apple, Google, and META are also opening up campuses here as well, and the area was the #5 hottest job market overall last year.

Another benefit of living in Durham if you work in RTP is you end up with a pretty easy commute compared to most, as you’re going the opposite way of major traffic.

Alright, now let’s take a look at some of the cons of living in Durham NC.

Con #1 – Schools

The first con are the public schools in Durham, as they are not known to be the best.

If you take a look at area schools on niche.com or greatschools.org you’ll see what I mean, and there have been some pretty severe bus driver shortages there lately as well.

Now there are plenty of people who will say they had no issue, but there are also many people end up going to charter or private options.  If you move to Durham, I would encourage you to do your own research on the schools and I can get you in contact with a reputable school advisor.

Con #2 – Higher Taxes

Next up, Durham has higher property taxes than Raleigh and much of neighboring Wake County.

Durham County is about $.10/$100 of property value higher than Wake County, while the city of Durham is also about that same amount higher than the city of Raleigh.

So on an equivalent $400k house, you end up paying nearly $900 extra in property taxes annually in Durham than if you lived in Raleigh.

Con #3 – Crime

Moving on, Durham has always been known as a city with a high crime rate.

And it’s true in some regards, as Durham was recently ranked sixth in the nation for having the highest homicide rates.

But Durham’s crime has actually gotten much better over the years, especially as downtown has gone through its’ transformation, and many of Durham’s other violent crime numbers have been going down year after year.

If you talk to most Durham residents, they will say they have never had an issue with Durham and have always felt safe.  There are just a few very rough areas that you have to know to stay away from that are South and East of Downtown.

Con #4 – Reputation

And the last con of living in Durham NC, is Durham has had a hard time escaping its’ reputation in the area.

Before Durham’s transformation, it did not have the best reputation due to its’ high crime rate and feeling run down.  It has really turned the corner and you would be hard pressed to find anyone living in Durham NC who doesn’t absolutely love it, but others in the greater Raleigh and Chapel-Hill area don’t necessarily feel the same.

When you tell people you live in Durham, you could be greeted with a sly remark or a mention of the crime, so it’s a stereotype that you may have to fight from time to time.

But overall, if you can handle those cons of living in Durham NC, it is an absolute amazing place to live and is why it’s currently right up there with Raleigh as the #3 best place to live in country.

Check out our blogs on the pros and cons of Raleigh NC for information on Raleigh.

If you need any real estate assistance in Durham or the greater Raleigh area, please don’t hesitate to reach out as our team would love to help you.

Please reach out via our contact information below:

Phone:  919-504-5265

Email:  Alison@thewgroupraleigh.com

Website:  www.thewgroupraleigh.com