DURHAM anyone? less "safe" than Raleigh/Cary? (Chapel Hill: chapel, houses)

[MikeJaquish]

Well, Golly, Ned...

In the last week I have been to Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Morrisville, Holly Springs, Apex, and Wake and Durham Counties in general.
At no time have I been raped, assaulted, molested, abused, shot, knifed, poked or prodded, mugged, spat on, defiled, or otherwise encountered inappropriate violent action.

Neither has my property, personal or real, been misappropriated or vandalized.

And I have not at any time sensed imminent danger of any of the above in any of the towns I have visited.

So, with nothing better to do, perhaps we should determine how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.

Or work a little harder on the rest of the questions in the OP's post.

[VickiR]

Originally Posted by newenglandgirl

I am possibly relocating to the Triangle area, older (semi-retired). I know nothing at all about Durham, other than it has Duke and a performing arts center. I've had two Cary realtors tell me to "stay away from Durham." No explanation. Why would they say this?

- Is Durham considered less safe - higher crime?
- Are the city neighborhoods going downhill?
- What parts are nicest/safest in terms of older bungalows, maybe 1500 sq ft or less?
- Should I look in the N or S part of the city?
- What do Durham folks pay for property taxes?
- How good is your drinking water?
- Public transportation?
- And Durhamites, how to you compare your city in general w Raleigh/Cary?

THANKS for any info, I'm coming there soon!

NewEnglGirl

The ORIGINAL question is why would other Realtors tell you to "stay away from Durham". For the record, I do not tell my clients this. I DO give them facts so that THEY can make the decision as to where they live, whether they choose Holly Springs or Cary or North Raleigh or Johnston County or Durham.

The answer is what upsets Durham residents.

Interesting that the same answer could be given for the Garner question but no one from Garner is here to defend Garner.

Unfortunately, Durham in comparison to North Raleigh or Cary DOES have higher crime statistics and a less than desirable reputation. What the OP needs to be made aware of is that there are plenty of people that do live in Durham and consider certain areas to be fine to live in.

It is due to the smart people on this forum that enlighten others that will help Durham better it's reputation.

However, when someone asks why others are trying to influence them to stay away from certain areas, they deserve a honest answer.

And even if the Durham reputation is not earned, it does influence property values. There are certain stigmas that attach to certain areas and it is up to the people that live there to enlighten others as to why the rep is there and what is being done to correct it.

Vicki

[mdp_az]

In red below...

Originally Posted by newenglandgirl

I am possibly relocating to the Triangle area, older (semi-retired). I know nothing at all about Durham, other than it has Duke and a performing arts center. I've had two Cary realtors tell me to "stay away from Durham." No explanation. Why would they say this?

- Is Durham considered less safe - higher crime? While it might be considered less safe, I don't think it is necessarily less unsafe. There are pockets of high crime areas in Durham just as there are in most every other town in the region and country.
- Are the city neighborhoods going downhill? Most of what I've seen is on the rise in Durham, rather than the decline. The neighborhoods closest to downtown are certainly on the mend and look to benefit nicely from all the investment and redevelopment going on in Central Durham!
- What parts are nicest/safest in terms of older bungalows, maybe 1500 sq ft or less? Like others, I'd recommend Old North Durham, Old West Durham, Trinity Park, Duke Park, Cleveland-Holloway, Northgate Park, etc...
- Should I look in the N or S part of the city? Far north: more rural, near north: sparsely developed compared to most suburbs in the region, near south: very nice older suburban development including desirable Hope Valley & Woodcroft areas, far south: typical suburban development
- What do Durham folks pay for property taxes? Too much, but I paid too much in Wake Cty, too. Durham's taxes are higher than Raleigh, but not a lot higher than some other communities in Wake Cty like Wake Forest
- How good is your drinking water? Like PDXmom, I also used to live in an area where drinking water came from snowmelt, so after that east coast water just won't compare. That said, the water in Durham seems no different than what we had in Raleigh; I drink it both filtered and unfiltered.
- Public transportation? Like all areas in the Triangle region, public transportation in Durham is lacking. Even so, there is transit-friendly development going on in central Durham in preparation for imrpovements to the transit infrastructure. The new Durham Station is a great example of this.
- And Durhamites, how to you compare your city in general w Raleigh/Cary? MUCH, MUCH better. I lived in Raleigh from 1988-1999 and again from 2002-2008. During that time, I lived in north Raleigh (Stonehenge & Falls River), on campus at NCSU, Cameron Village area, SW Raleigh, Five Points, & Boylan Heights. I lived briefly in SW Durham in 1999 before moving out west, and finally moved "home" to Durham (northern, near Eno River SP & Riverside HS) last summer. I like Raleigh just fine, especially the older areas like Five Points & Boylan (and yes, I heard gunshots in Boylan!). I find most of north Raleigh & especially Cary to be sprawling sameness of strip malls and suburbia. Not all bad really...can be a good place for a family and there are some local gems to be found in the strip malls. BUT, I have found a true sense of place in Durham. We really wanted to live near downtown, however we were concerned about the school zones for our children and thus ended up pretty close to town in northern Durham. Even so, a 10 minute drive takes us to a wonderfully eclectic and diverse collection of restaurants, galleries, shops, neighborhoods & people that make Durham the wonderful city that it is!!! Oh, and I've felt more safe here than I did in north Raleigh. We had a rash of break-ins and attacks in our neighborhood in Raleigh, however we've had nothing of the sort here in Durham!

THANKS for any info, I'm coming there soon!

NewEnglGirl

[sugarandcream]

Originally Posted by newenglandgirl

I am possibly relocating to the Triangle area, older (semi-retired). I know nothing at all about Durham, other than it has Duke and a performing arts center. I've had two Cary realtors tell me to "stay away from Durham." No explanation. Why would they say this?

- Is Durham considered less safe - higher crime?
- Are the city neighborhoods going downhill?
- What parts are nicest/safest in terms of older bungalows, maybe 1500 sq ft or less?
- Should I look in the N or S part of the city?
- What do Durham folks pay for property taxes?
- How good is your drinking water?
- Public transportation?
- And Durhamites, how to you compare your city in general w Raleigh/Cary?



THANKS for any info, I'm coming there soon!

NewEnglGirl

Raleigh and Durham are very different places. Raleigh is much safer and cleaner and prettier. IMO they don't even compare. Duke is about the only positive thing that Durham has going for it.

[coltank]

See, lots of different opinions, and very strong ones from the people trying to "sell" where they live. People tend to think their area is the best. CD's posts are a perfect example. Now that he has moved out of Cary and is looking for a home for his son in Holly Springs, that is now one of the greatest cities ever.

One thing to note on people hearing gunshots, is that is not always what they hear. I was in a neighborhood one day, where I thought I was hearing gunshots, and it was actually just construction noise. Just something to keep in mind

[sneezecake]

Originally Posted by VickiR

The ORIGINAL question is why would other Realtors tell you to "stay away from Durham". For the record, I do not tell my clients this. I DO give them facts so that THEY can make the decision as to where they live, whether they choose Holly Springs or Cary or North Raleigh or Johnston County or Durham.

The answer is what upsets Durham residents.

Interesting that the same answer could be given for the Garner question but no one from Garner is here to defend Garner.

Unfortunately, Durham in comparison to North Raleigh or Cary DOES have higher crime statistics and a less than desirable reputation.
Vicki

Interesting here that you take the time to break out "North" from Raleigh, but lump Durham into one big place.

[sandycat]

LOL at Mike J.

I live in North Durham, and very much like it. It's not THAT far from anything I need and people are nice here. I do get annoyed with people who have never left this part of town and therefore are considered to me "less enlightened", but whatever. The biggest thing I don't like about Durham or this area in general is the lack of public transportation. You just can't get by without your own car. So get a car no matter where you live. And for the record, I feel totally safe here. I just don't understand the crime thing. Ok, small pockets of crime, big deal. Why would I need to walk the streets of East Durham anyhow?? It's not like there's a Target or mall out that way. I love Durham, I like it better than any other city in the triangle, there's something for everyone here, it's diverse, it's artsy, it's got character... but that's just my opinion.

[sandycat]

Originally Posted by sugarandcream

Raleigh and Durham are very different places. Raleigh is much safer and cleaner and prettier. IMO they don't even compare. Duke is about the only positive thing that Durham has going for it.

Wow, what a blanket statement. And by the way, I think you are so wrong, clearly you haven't spent much time in Durham.

[BayVillage]

Whether you believe that Durham has high crime, bad schools, corrupt city leaders and poor public transportation or not, the issue is PERCEPTION. I lived in Durham for 5 years and I personally would not live there again. My brother was visiting recently and after about a week of watching the local news, he turned to me and said "wow, every shooting, break-in or robbery that they report seems to happen in Durham." However, I believe that there are nice parts of Durham and some of the bad rap might be overblown. But again, the perception (and sorry folks but it is far and wide) is that Durham is NOT a good place to put your real estate dollar. Realtors (and not just the ones in Cary) will tell you that your resale options will suffer because of poor schools and crime. So don't shoot me, I'm just passing on this two cents like everyone else here.

[TraumanurseNC]

Originally Posted by sugarandcream

Raleigh and Durham are very different places. Raleigh is much safer and cleaner and prettier. IMO they don't even compare. Duke is about the only positive thing that Durham has going for it.

I do find it interesting, as someone has already said, that people tend to talk about "North Raleigh" as being its' own entity, (I lived in N. Raleigh, beautiful area!), but seem to lump Durham into one unit... There are some areas of high crime in Durham, but not ALL of Durham is high crime! The same could be said for other areas of the Triangle...certain areas, not so great, but doesn't make the whole a terrible place...

I agree wholeheartedly that Durham is NOT for everyone... if you have a problem with diversity, this is probably not the place for you. Rich and poor alike live and work close together....I really like that aspect of Durham, and I am somewhere in the middle (not rich, not poor....) If you REALLY NEED public transportation, then NC is definitely not for you either (it is not great anywhere in NC, but Raleigh and Durham have more than Cary, Wake Forest, Knightdale, etc..... BUT, if you want somewhere that, in my humble opinion, is a great mix of ALL things, I would invite you to look at Durham. It has a lot to offer! I don't think that people who live here say "everyone should move here, the crime is non-existent, the people are all friendly, the buses will pick you up at your front door and take you anywhere, and you can walk in East Durham at night in your underwear...."... I think people who live in and love Durham just want others to know that it isn't the horrible, awful place others try to make it seem... I happen to think there are MANY wonderful things in Durham, in fact Duke isn't on the top of my list... there are many wonderful things about Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, Chapel Hill and so on... I just don't feel the need to say bad things about places that, while wonderful in their own right, just aren't "home" like Durham is (my OWN personal opinion, of course....). I just knew this was where I wanted to live out my "golden years", and they are actually quite a ways away still!