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Old 12-24-2014, 02:58 PM
 
4 posts, read 9,257 times
Reputation: 15

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As the title of my post states, I am a single, 30 year old black woman moving to Durham. I already have job lined in RTP. I plan to move sometime between March - May 2015. I am from Atlanta, so this relocation will hopefully be a nice change from all of the traffic and congestion for which I have grown accustomed. I have read the stickied post at the top of the forum board, but it does not really answer my questions.

I understand that Durham has a significant black population, but are there any particular areas in the city where blacks in Durham reside in large numbers?


Before anyone jumps on this post about the diversity of Durham and the RTP as a whole--please know that I am serious in my question. I have lived in Atlanta almost my entire life and I have never lacked things to do, places to go, or foods to eat that are relevant to my (i.e Black/African American) culture. I don't want to lose that connectedness to my culture. I don't mind living in an ethnically diverse area, however I want to live where there is a significant number of people who look like me. I grew up in the middle-class primarily African American neighborhoods of Southwest Atlanta, and I want to live somewhere representative of my ethnic background.

I've seen a few apartments in the Southpoint Mall area, but judging from the forum, it's hard to get a good read on decent apartments in that area. My budget is $1000 including utilities for a 2bd/2ba garden apartment. A min. 1000 sqft, totally electric apartment with a washer/dryer in the unit is requisite. I found some apartments that fit this criteria, but it might be in the "bad" part of town, or the apartments are tiny. Any apartment recommendations/areas of the city would be greatly appreciated.

Do most of the apartments in Durham not include water/sewer/trash with the rent?
I called a few places and every single complex charges tenants separately for water usage. Is this a common practice? Water, sewer, and trash is all inclusive where I live.

What is the fastest internet speed available in Durham?
(I currently get 105/50 in Atlanta, but that is with Comcast which is not available in the area.) Does TWC/Frontier offer anything faster than 50/5?

Are there any good African Hair braiding shops/black hair salons in the area?
(I don't want to have to travel back home to get a good Senegalese twist, but I will if I must! )

I value a short commute over proximity to nightlife, although I would like to live in an area close to bars, dining, and shopping. Any commute under a 15 minutes would be excellent. My current commute is 3 hours a day to and from! I need a break from the traffic.
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Old 12-24-2014, 03:10 PM
 
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
3,629 posts, read 4,461,093 times
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There seems to be a large black population in central/northeastish Durham, but I wouldn't suggest moving in those spots as most of it is in the hood. Drive by's, robberies, the whole nine yards. You won't have any problem finding people that "look like you". I too work in RTP (live in southern Durham) and most of the people in my department are black! So there ya go.

Many of them do but I don't know if most of them do. Water is the responsibility of the tenant in my apartment. Sewer too. Trash in "included"; tis a dumpster pad with trash cans and a recycling dumpster too.

I have TWC and it's fast enough to download movies in less than 10 minutes while I'm streaming Netflix or playing on Xbox Live. There are a lot of good African hair braiding shops.

If RTP, I do suggest southern Durham! Don't have to get on any highways (which do get quite congested) and it takes me 10-12 minutes to get to work. Check out the Southpoint area. You won't get much of a break from traffic. It's a bit lighter than ATL since we are a smaller metro, but it still sucks. Ass. Majorly. Surface streets moreso than the highways.
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Old 12-24-2014, 03:20 PM
 
Location: New Hill, NC
23 posts, read 35,217 times
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As a former resident and someone who is from and grew up in Downtown Durham, I can tell you that is IS NOT where you want to live since you are a professional and not a "thug." Not joking.

Hope Valley area near Southpoint is nice, as well as anywhere near Duke. Downtown is cheap, but is also the ghetto, full of crime, but honestly as of late has become more Hispanic than black, and crime has increased to even higher levels. Bethesda, Raleigh Glenwood area, or Morrisville/Carpenter area is a reasonable commute to Durham as well.
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Old 12-24-2014, 04:38 PM
 
Location: Chapelboro
12,798 posts, read 16,241,417 times
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Shan, Durham does have a large black population. There are some sketchy areas, but there are plenty of nice areas, too. I don't think any place around Southpoint is bad — it's a very nice upscale shopping area —*and I don't think you need to worry about finding folks who look like you. You can go to http://www.city-data.com/city/Durham...arolina.html#b and select races from the drop down menu to see diversity in the city.

Oh, and I'm sure there's somebody in Durham who can do whatever kind of hairstyle you like.
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Old 12-24-2014, 06:36 PM
 
527 posts, read 684,814 times
Reputation: 547
Have you looked at Raleigh or Morrisville? I am a black young professional woman and I have found pretty much everything I need in Raleigh with the exception of where to get my locs maintained. I drive to Durham to get my locs done, but that's mainly it. There are some definite nice parts of Durham, but I'm a huge fan of Raleigh
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Old 12-24-2014, 07:30 PM
 
Location: North Carolina
2,679 posts, read 2,878,389 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Caarmour View Post
I drive to Durham to get my locs done, but that's mainly it. ..
You should try Schatzis on Millbrook in Raleigh @Caarmour ... owner's really cool. Calm, peaceful environment and they have nice events there, too.

Embrace the Beauty of You at Schatzi's Design Gallery & Day Spa
Services | Schatzis Design Gallery and Day Spa LLC
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Old 12-24-2014, 10:00 PM
 
Location: Durham, NC
523 posts, read 1,322,790 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeCool6972 View Post
As a former resident and someone who is from and grew up in Downtown Durham, I can tell you that is IS NOT where you want to live since you are a professional and not a "thug." Not joking.

Hope Valley area near Southpoint is nice, as well as anywhere near Duke. Downtown is cheap, but is also the ghetto, full of crime, but honestly as of late has become more Hispanic than black, and crime has increased to even higher levels. Bethesda, Raleigh Glenwood area, or Morrisville/Carpenter area is a reasonable commute to Durham as well.
You obviously haven't been near downtown Durham in a while. Cheap? Not so much. There are high-end loft apartments and condos springing up like crazy, and home prices in the neighborhoods right around downtown have skyrocketed over the past few years. It's turned into quite the place to be as the Central Park area has developed. I'm a 40-something professional, and I lived north of the downtown loop just a few blocks from the old ballpark for six years before moving recently. The area is full of doctors, grad students, professors, artists, etc., and is quite diverse.
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Old 12-24-2014, 10:25 PM
 
1,733 posts, read 2,171,876 times
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Shan - I suspect many of these people are trolls who respond to all posts "black" to make thinly-veiled racially-tinged insults, are not black, and have spent little to NO time in Durham. As an ACTUAL black, professional, 30-something person, I think you'd like Durham. I am going to contact you privately and share more.
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Old 12-24-2014, 10:41 PM
 
1,733 posts, read 2,171,876 times
Reputation: 2238
Quote:
Originally Posted by lb27608 View Post
You obviously haven't been near downtown Durham in a while. Cheap? Not so much. There are high-end loft apartments and condos springing up like crazy, and home prices in the neighborhoods right around downtown have skyrocketed over the past few years. It's turned into quite the place to be as the Central Park area has developed. I'm a 40-something professional, and I lived north of the downtown loop just a few blocks from the old ballpark for six years before moving recently. The area is full of doctors, grad students, professors, artists, etc., and is quite diverse.
I was thinking the SAME THING. Cheap? Ghetto? Tell me where this is SPECIFICALLY, so I can go snap up these properties and hold onto them while downtown continues to gentrify. Seriously. I need addresses!
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Old 12-24-2014, 10:51 PM
 
Location: My House
34,937 posts, read 36,109,046 times
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If I'm understanding the OP's original question, though, she seems to be looking for a predominantly black, middle class area.

The Triangle tends to be very diverse once you move from lower-income (rent assisted and the like) areas and move into middle- to upper-middle class neighborhoods.

Admittedly, I'm not familiar with the ethnic makeup of all of Durham's nicer communities, but I do know this seems to be the case in Raleigh-Cary and nearby areas.

I assume Durham is similar.

Is it not?

This question has come up before and nobody has ever been able to point to a predominantly black, middle to upper middle class neighborhood anywhere in the Triangle.

The OP states she grew up in such an area in Atlanta, which makes sense given the size and population of Atlanta.
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