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I haven't lived in Detroit--but I've visited--and I'm from Durham--and I fail to see any VALID comparisons. The two cities have little in common. Detroit is having an extremely hard time, and has not fared well from folks I know who live there/are from there.
I grew up in LI, NY and NJ. My dad in Queens, NY.....I don't see the comparison. Neither look anything a like to me. That NY area is very urban where Durham is still a small city to me. There are some urban areas as you get downtown but .....Even for New Orleans....that has it's own historic area but sadly ( just going by what I see from documentaries ) the other areas have yet to be brought back to life. I know they have rebuilt here and there but again don't see the comparison.
I like Durham. I love the old warehouses and fantasize about living in one of them every time I visit the DPAC. There are some truly amazing restaurants and other cool businesses in Durham. Downtown Durham has a unique atmosphere that appeals to the artsy side of me. IMO, Durham trumps Raleigh in many, many ways.
But New Orleans? I freaking WISH.
Last edited by CrawfishGumbo; 02-19-2011 at 06:34 AM..
I grew up in LI, NY and NJ. My dad in Queens, NY.....I don't see the comparison. Neither look anything a like to me. That NY area is very urban where Durham is still a small city to me. There are some urban areas as you get downtown but .....Even for New Orleans....that has it's own historic area but sadly ( just going by what I see from documentaries ) the other areas have yet to be brought back to life. I know they have rebuilt here and there but again don't see the comparison.
I agree, even though I grew up in Durham and now live in NYC. And just the cultural and day to day living is very different IMO.
Durham and Brooklyn are incredibly similar. Both have two syllables. Both are in states that have two words in their names, the first beginning with the letter "N."
Both have paved roads and street lights. And supermarkets.
It's astonishing! It's like that whole "Lincoln had a Secretary named Kennedy, Kennedy had a Secretary named Lincoln" thing.
I don't think it's remotely similar to ANY of those places. The ONLY comparison that made any sense to me was Winston-Salem: both former tobacco towns, some reuse of the old factories, several area colleges including big well-known schools (Duke and Wake Forest) and big HBCUs (WSSU and NCCU), strong focus on arts, a big business/professional component (for lack of a better word--RTP in Durham, banking in W-S).
Agree - Don't see the comparison with Brooklyn, Detroit or New Orleans. I do see the W-S connection. I think there is greater overlap/comparisons with a couple towns in New England, namely Providence and New Haven. Yeah - obviously two entirely different regions - so consider that, but in terms of
(1) Look/feel (urbanish core w/ suburb, warehouse districts, historical/industrial buildings, pocket neighborhoods with stately homes, gritty, etc.);
(2) Professional/education profile (high pop of PhDs, international folks, big focus on medicine/bio tech, presence of ivy league school - yes, Duke is Ivy in my book!);
(3) Innovative arts/theater programs, good museums, cultural/heritage centers, etc;
(4) Liberal centers; intellectually diverse
(5) Good offering of sports - albeit not professional sports
(6) Ethnically diverse;
(7) Towns that are undergoing a renaissance/redevelopment of sorts;
(8) "Foodie" towns;
Etc., I could go on, but I think you get the general idea.
Durham is NOT Brooklyn. I have been to Brooklyn..very bad parts of Brooklyn. Durham is a paradise..gorgeous compared to it! Brooklyn is dirty, graffiti, overcrowded, literally Moderator cut: language on the ground. Disgusting! I hate having to go there on business. The hospitals are filthy. Many parts remind me of a 3 rd world country. Durham is nothing like that. There are shady places in Durham. Lots of places have that. But there are older, nice family areas too. Please dont compare the two.
Last edited by Green Irish Eyes; 02-20-2011 at 08:20 PM..
Reason: Please use appropriate language or else let the filters do their job.
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I freaking WISH.
