"Why we love Durham" (Raleigh: theater, live in, moving)

[007dham]

We just moved from Michigan to Durham. We have experienced other parts of the triangle...Raleigh, Cary, Chapel Hill, etc. and there's nothing quite like Durham. There is so much diversity in this city and a grit that is hard to explain. Durham has the best food bar none. We have experienced pretty much every part of Durham...still more to explore, but we knew pretty early-on that this is where we would settle. We will be closing on a home in a few months right here in Durham. Something good is happening in this town...it is waking up, and we wouldn't want to miss it.

[shygirl39]

Well, I move to Raleigh from Durham and I do miss it. I don't care that much for Raleigh( it is because the school changing all the time, city bus system, just a few. Other than that it is not a bad place). I am planning on moving and I hope it will be next year. I am planning on moving back to Durham. I do agree 100% with one post about if you don't like a place than you should move. I miss Durham more than my hometown. I have learn one thing and that is, it is best to move somewhere to get a feel of it. You can't always go by what someone says or visiting a few times, because what you like might not be like by someone else. Thank you so much for this post because I do get tried of people putting Durham down( Raleigh is one of them) when your city have just as much crime and I feel like until you get your crime under control than you should not talk. What I miss about Durham? I miss some of the people I have met, I love the Southpoint Mall, I even miss Northgate Mall, I just miss it period. I will be back.

[roncorey1]

Top Ten:

1. History.....DT Durham is full of history that you can see and feel.
2. Job market....diverse and dynamic.
3. Durham Bulls.....championship team w/beautiful ballpark.
4. Northgate Mall....easy access and super friendly people work there.
5. Southpoint....opposite of Northgate in appeal; but in a good way!
6. South Square....cooler than Brier Creek IMO!
7. Museums....great programs and exhibits.
8. City Parks....need work, but still better than most.
9. Police....polite and professional.
10. Eno River....good fishing, canoeing, parks, festivals.

[lilpeasmama]

Well. I am not sure what ya'll are speaking on. I have lived here for about two years and have to say that I love it here. All the diferent areas offer so much to do that we don't run out of places to go. I love all the areas of Durham. There is so much here in Durham. I wouldn't worry about the people that put down part of the area. They are really missing out on all there is offered here. =)

[albow71]

Durham is simply the "whipping child" of this area. I have family in Raleigh & only a few short years ago some of the same things that were happening in Durham were happening in Raleigh just a often, but "somehow" they never made the news. It's like WRAL and others would step over a dead body in Raleigh to report that someone's home was broken into in Durham. The point that I'm trying to make is that it's easy to think the worst about a place that you don't actually live......especially when outside influences assist in making you believe that place is so much worse than places in the same vacinity.

The cat is slowly coming out of the bag, because it seems that the media is giving a bit more attention to things happening in Raleigh than they had been in the past. No Durham is not the safest place in the world, but it's not nearly as bad as the media & people in neighboring cities make it out to be.

In closing I would like to give this little tid-bit of info.; I'm from a very, very small town (Mayberry comes to mind) originally and according to FBI crime stats that small town had just as much crime as Durham did per capita for that particular year. Crime is everywhere folk, so quit kidding yourself into thinking that you are much safer than anyone else anywhere else. We are all just one idiot away from being robbed, rapped, or killed. Sounds crazy, but it's true. I've been in Durham now for 13 years and haven't had any problems. I stay out of "the hood" and out of other folk business. If you can manage those 2 things, you're 3/4 of the way to living a happy and safe life anywhere if you ask me....That includes Raleigh my friends!! LOL!

[Jamerican]

IMHO, Durham is all that and a bag of chips and should also stand for the following :-

Devine
Unbelieable
Romantic
Happening
Authentic
Magical

It is often times "gut busting laughable", some of the stereotypical things that are said about this place that many of us happen to know is a true GEM that has earned its rightful place in the Triangle. So goes Durham, so goes the rich history of the Triangle. The Bull City - Go Durham

[TraumanurseNC]

Originally Posted by Jamerican

IMHO, Durham is all that and a bag of chips and should also stand for the following :-

Devine
Unbelieable
Romantic
Happening
Authentic
Magical

It is often times "gut busting laughable", some of the stereotypical things that are said about this place that many of us happen to know is a true GEM that has earned its rightful place in the Triangle. So goes Durham, so goes the rich history of the Triangle. The Bull City - Go Durham

I am very impressed with your creativity! I agree 100%, I am just not creative enough to come up with anything that good.... thanks!

[PDXmom]

I'm not a big mall person so I would move 4,5,6 down to 11, 12, 13 and add

4. Serene and well maintained American Tobacco Trails
5. Excellent Public Libraries
6. Creative Spirit that shows up in everything from The Scrap Exchange, The local food scene, to The Durham Art Walk


Oh, and we can't forget Engaged, Involved Local Citizens that strives to make Durham better for ALL people.

Originally Posted by roncorey1

Top Ten:

1. History.....DT Durham is full of history that you can see and feel.
2. Job market....diverse and dynamic.
3. Durham Bulls.....championship team w/beautiful ballpark.
4. Northgate Mall....easy access and super friendly people work there.
5. Southpoint....opposite of Northgate in appeal; but in a good way!
6. South Square....cooler than Brier Creek IMO!
7. Museums....great programs and exhibits.
8. City Parks....need work, but still better than most.
9. Police....polite and professional.
10. Eno River....good fishing, canoeing, parks, festivals.

[NCGator]

Well, we never intended to settle in Durham. We moved down here for my husband's job in Chapel Hill, and given everything I read, I thought OF COURSE we'll be living in Chapel Hill. We needed to save up a little more money before buying a house in Chapel Hill, so we decided to bite the bullet and rent next door in Durham where it was a little cheaper. Let me tell you, after only a few months, I'm not sure we're ever leaving! I love this place!

I love the diversity of Durham, both of the people and of the environment. You have everything from rural farmlands to urban center, from wooded old neighborhoods to sprawling subdivisions. There seems to be something for everyone. Forget tumors! I love that no matter what your taste, it seems you can find it in Durham. It seems that people will begin to look beyond all the negativity I had heard about before coming here and discover what this town truly has to offer. I'm curious to see how Durham will grow in the coming years. What direction will it take? I can't help but feel optimistic.

Ok, I could go on. I'll list a few things I love about this place.

-Convenience! Everything is within 15 minutes of me. Whether I need a big box store, a small independent restaurant, a world class cultural event, a hayride around a pumpkin patch, wooded trails, shopping, catch a flight, whatever, I can get to it in 15 minutes or less!

-Diversity! I talked about it before, but I'll say it again. I think all these different points of view will help make this place even better as it tries to figure out how to move forward from here.

-Museum of Life and Science! I signed up for a membership on my first visit. It's perfect for the kids.

-The trees! I love how even when driving on I-40 spitting distance from Southpoint, all you see is a beautiful forest. I love driving along Woodcroft Parkway, through Duke Forest, down Hope Valley road, etc., etc., etc. It seems everywhere you drive is like that.

Sure, it's not all roses here, but I must say that Durham has been nothing short of a surprise to us. The move to Chapel Hill seems less and less likely to us.

[Jamerican]

Originally Posted by TraumanurseNC

I am very impressed with your creativity! I agree 100%, I am just not creative enough to come up with anything that good.... thanks!

Why thank you there TraumanurseNC .... I do try - LOL