Moving to Durham (Raleigh, Cary, Chapel Hill: low income, for sale, renting)

[apinto]

Can anyone share info on the 27705 area? I am moving from Baltimore. Just want info about the neighborhood.
Also ... We are going to build a home. What is the avg cost per sq foot in that area? We will need a custom builder.
Last... Is the school district decent?
Thanks

[bull136]

Baltimore with its 289 murders for a pop of 665k. I wonder who would live there , I was offered a job there with a huge raise i told them if they make me move there with my kids I quite . Now with all these nice areas like raleigh , cary , apex , holly springs , wake forest why would you pick the one thats considered the detoit of the carolina's and has the highest crime rate, 4 times raleigh and with the worst schools , but than again coming from a hell hole like baltimore it is still an improvement. Treat yourself , pic a nice area to live for a change. The city of durham has the worst schools in the entire triangle. Check the web site and than check the crime stats and compare to every where else in the area pretty bad. (North Carolina Public School Rankings) Drive downtown Durham at 11pm and than Raleigh

[scorp200]

Oh dear.

Apinto, I don't know anything about that area code but I live in Durham and trust me, you should ignore bull136 here. Just do a search on this board for Durham and you'll find plenty of positive posts. Not all of us like the suburbs.

[chemteacher]

I also think you should ignore the post by the Durham basher. Why do you want to live in the 27705 zip? There are other nice areas of Durham (27707) you should consider in addition to the 27705. My husband was a student at Duke and he moved from the 27705 to the 27707 when we got married and his commute was only about 5 minutes longer in 27707. I lived in Durham and am returning next year because Durham offers a short commute to work and it has a lot of lovely parts. Durham is also more affordable than other areas in the Triangle. Before you settle on a neighborhood keep in mind that Durham still has neighborhood schools and some schools score higher on state tests than others. If you are concerned about the schools be sure to do your research- all schools post their test scores online and they will give you a good idea about the overall success of the school.

[Indigoblue]

Buying in the Jordan High School or Riverside High School Durham districts would maximize the resale value of your home if that's something you're concerned about, and the elementaries attached to them are considered the highest in quality according to area parents and teachers I've spoken to. Four high schools in Durham, including the above, are in Newsweek's list of the top 5% in the US. Where Durham gets its main poor school reputation is from two high schools that are struggling with very low scores, and also, probably not cooincidentally pull from many low income neighborhoods, some of which have the types of high crime problems all cities (as opposed to small towns) struggle with.

That said, there are 200k+ people in Durham and there are many wonderful family-friendly areas, just like in Baltimore. And similar to Baltimore it has several preserved factories with gorgeous brick architecture. And Durham also has a great children's science museum - the Durham Museum of Life and Science.

I have a great deal more information about how Durham schools compare to other school districts in the area (answer is they compare WELL!) in this thread I wrote in response to the people who feel a pressing need to speak badly about Durham:
//www.city-data.com/forum/ralei...issed-out.html

A link with Durham pros that did not make it into the above thread:
Durham, NC | About Durham | 300+ Great Things About Durham (http://www.durham-nc.com/about/300_things.php - broken link)

A video created by Duke University Law for incoming profs/students
Decidedly Durham

A very interesting read theorizing about why Durham has such an undeservedly bad reputation in the area:
Independent Weekly: News: Durham: Durham: The making of an image

Sadly, much of the Durham bashing is probably motivated by the fact that the city has a historically high black population. Within Durham itself I have found a friendly, welcoming city with a great deal of diversity - racial, cultural, and socioeconomic. Just speaking to my own house and those surrounding mine, we have White, Asian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, and Black neighbors. That much diversity makes some people uncomfortable. Others go out of their way to seek it out for their children.

Whatever your reason for moving to Durham, I know you will feel very welcomed, and will likely enjoy your stay We are definitely liking our new state and city

PS. Definitely do a search in the forum on Durham. There have been various lengthy discussions about schools and neighborhoods that you would find valuable. Also look at the photo thread stickied to the top of the forum. A few of us have posted photos of neighborhoods, downtown historic buildings, Duke Gardens, etc.

[ntchanga]

Hi, Apinto.

I am renting in the 27705 zip code area until we find a home. I love the area because I am surrounded by Duke Forest! It's heavily wooded and is a very short commute to Duke/Duke Medical Center. I do my grocery shopping at a Harris Teeter on MLK Blvd. and you aren't very far from the big box stores near 15/501 (Chapel Hill Blvd). I don't have kids, so can't tell you anything about the school system.
There are some nice areas around Pickett/Cornwallis Road. As for building, I'm not sure of the availability of land though. Here is an example of a price per square foot for a tract builder in the area just to give you an idea. Carillon Forest Community - D.R.Horton - America's Builder
Welcome and good luck!

[MrsSteel]

Hello, Apinto! I am yet another person who lives in Durham (27713 zip code) and I love it here. Indigoblue has given you some grat links. Definitely explore them. Hopefully I can offer a bit of help, too.

It is true that Durham's crime rate is higher than other town in the Triangle, but most of the crime is focused on the area just east of downtown. Granted, there are some lovely neighborhoods there, too, but people tend to steer newcomers away from moving to that area until they get to know the city better. Most of Durham is just as beautiful and just as safe as any other town in the Triangle.

Here is a website that should help you. It shows the borders for zip codes. It will help you visualize the different area codes we're discussing.
The Most Accurate Free USPS Zip Code Map Anywhere!
As you can tell, zip code 27705 is quite large! I'm hesitant to make any grand, sweeping statements about the whole area, but based on its size & location alone, I imagine there are some nice neighborhoods there. I'm especially fond of the Duke Forest. Are you looking at any neighborhoods in particular? If you can give us more specific information, we should be able to help more.

Since you're interested in schools, you should check out this school assignment map from Durham Public Schools.
DPS District Site - Student Assignment Maps (http://www.dpsnc.net/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=1119 - broken link)
It looks like the high schools that are tied to that area are probably Northern High School or Riverside High School. Both of these schools were recently listed on Newsweek's list of the top 5% of high schools in the country (4 of Durham's high schools made that list).
America's Top Public High Schools - Newsweek America's Best High Schools - MSNBC.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18757087/site/newsweek - broken link)
Durham has other public school options, too - magnets, "early college" schools, etc. You should poke around on the DPS website & see what options exist for your family.

If you're interested in school test scores, here's a website that will show the scores for every school in North Carolina:
ReDir
When you look at these scores, make sure you look at the "High Student Performance" page. This will break down the test scores by sex and race.

As an example, let's look at the scores for Riverside High for the '05-'06 school year.
High Student Performance - School Level
You'll notice that there is a huge difference between test scores for white children and those for black children, as well as those for Economically Disadvantaged children versus non-economically disadvantaged children. This is a terrible, nation-wide problem - not just a local one - and you'll find this difference in other school districts around the Triangle, too. This affects Durham's overall test scores more than the other districts, however, because the population of Durham is more racially and economically diverse than any other town in the Triangle. Once you break it down this way, you'll see that Durham Schools are just as good as what you'll find in surrounding districts.

I believe that 44% of Durham's population is black (http://www.durhamnc.gov/departments/...mographics.pdf), while Raleigh is about 30% black ( http://www.raleighnc.gov/publication...pring_2006.pdf ) and Cary is about 8% black, etc etc. Those of us who chose to live in Durham want to live in a more racially diverse town. Personally, I love living in Durham! The population of my street is much like Indigoblue's - white, black, asian, latino, and european families are sprinkled along my street. We also have married families, empty nesters, singles, and gay couples. The diversity makes the town feel more cosmopolitan to me. Durham has lots of great restaurants and entertainment options, too. Plus, its central location makes it easy to travel to any other town in the Triangle you might like to visit. I've found that those who choose to live in Durham are overwhelmingly positive about the town. I hope you'll like it, too.

[dcgrl]

I live in 27705 (Duke Forest). Durham is a great place to live, and if you're used to (and appreciate) city life, it's the best place in the Triangle to live.

I also am not sure about the availability of lots in this zip code. Pretty much everything in the zip code is existing housing. You can find new developments going up in areas around Southpoint Mall (not sure what that zip is--27713?)

ntchanga--I think we must be neighbors!

MrsSteel and Indigoblue have excellent information, and I concur with it 100%. (and if bull136 is a product of Raleigh's superior schools, I don't want any part of them...)

[scorp200]

Good posts guys! I responded too early this a.m. and had no energy to go and find all of the useful posts! :-P

[Hilville]

I am also renting in the 27705 zip code and recently made an offer on a house in the same zip code. Durham scared me at first, mainly because of all the negative publicity about the city (I came from a really small town in SC). But after living here a few months, I found that I really like it. Certain areas are to be avoided, of course, but Durham is a great city overall. No matter your demographic or interests, you'll never be bored.

I'm renting in the Watts-Hillandale neighborhood, a historic neighborhood within walking distance to Duke. I see people walking their dogs and strolling with their kids all afternoon and evening. Very quiet at night, except for the ambulances - we are really close to the hospital, after all.

As some posters have mentioned, there are several zip codes all around this area, so don't get too hung up on a certain zip code. MrsSteel gave some excellent links (as she always does!) that will give you a good idea of the layout.

As far as building your own home in the 27705 zip code, I just don't think there is much room left! Would you consider remodeling an existing home? In the Watts-Hillandale neighborhood, there are a few homes for sale, and they look really nice on the outside. Historic homes have such character! Full disclosure: I didn't bid on a house in this neighborhood - historic homes come with big price tags!

Good luck!