Looking for an appropriate in-town neighborhood in Durham (Raleigh, Trinity: apartments, condos)

[JeffersonJ]

I will be starting a PhD program at Duke and will be moving to Durham soon from Birmingham, AL. I've been kind of surprised about the scant descriptions of the Durham neighborhoods and the lack of neighborhood specificity of the Durham MLS websites.

My fiancee and I are looking for neighborhoods similar to what we currently live in. We live in the Highland Park / Forest Park area of Birmingham, if anyone is familiar. Essentially, it is a residential historic neighborhood only a mile or two from downtown mostly comprised of houses but also with a decent amount of apartments/condos. Not too gentrified/upscale, but not too "transitional" either. Also, we'd like shops/restaurants that are within walking distance. We've done our time in transitional neighborhoods and would like to live somewhere that my fiancee doesn't have to worry about walking the dogs herself (also, feel free to mention crime in Durham but understand that we live in Birmingham, which is known for its crime).

Also, since it's more likely someone is familiar with Atlanta rather than Birmingham, think of the areas of Virginia-Highlands that are closer to Little Five Points (as in, Virginia Highlands but not as gentrified or expensive).

We've got about 250K to spend on a single family 2BR or 3BR house. We have no aversion to historic houses and would almost prefer one.

I've got a very faint idea of the Durham neighborhoods. How is the Morehead Hill area, in terms of how I described our wants? Any help with neighborhoods would be much appreciated. I'd like to get a good feel of what to expect before we make a trip up there to house shop.

[ljd1010]

Try Watts-Hillandale or Trinity Park.

[Steve Nicewarner]

Trinity Park was also the first neighborhood I thought of

[peperoberto]

There are many neighborhoods in Durham that fit your description.

Morehead Hills is a nice neighborhood. A lot of tobacco magnates and other industrialists first lived in Morehead Hills, so there are a lot of huge mansions that have been converted to other uses (one example is a bed and breakfast). There are also some smaller homes.

What part of Morehead Hills are you looking at? The southern part of Morehead Hills is right near American Tobacco and downtown.

In terms of crime, as you said you nailed it. Durham's crime rate is way below Birmingham's.

Other neighborhoods that will fit the bill include Burch Avenue, Old West Durham, Duke Park, Watts-Hillandale, Trinity Park, and Forest Hills.

If you're looking at spending $250k or less, then Burch Avenue is your best bet for being close to Duke and still 3 blocks from shopping and entertainment.

I sent you the names of two realtors that know Durham neighborhoods very well.

[AdamoAlexa]

Originally Posted by JeffersonJ

I will be starting a PhD program at Duke and will be moving to Durham soon from Birmingham, AL. I've been kind of surprised about the scant descriptions of the Durham neighborhoods and the lack of neighborhood specificity of the Durham MLS websites.

My fiancee and I are looking for neighborhoods similar to what we currently live in. We live in the Highland Park / Forest Park area of Birmingham, if anyone is familiar. Essentially, it is a residential historic neighborhood only a mile or two from downtown mostly comprised of houses but also with a decent amount of apartments/condos. Not too gentrified/upscale, but not too "transitional" either. Also, we'd like shops/restaurants that are within walking distance. We've done our time in transitional neighborhoods and would like to live somewhere that my fiancee doesn't have to worry about walking the dogs herself (also, feel free to mention crime in Durham but understand that we live in Birmingham, which is known for its crime).

Also, since it's more likely someone is familiar with Atlanta rather than Birmingham, think of the areas of Virginia-Highlands that are closer to Little Five Points (as in, Virginia Highlands but not as gentrified or expensive).

We've got about 250K to spend on a single family 2BR or 3BR house. We have no aversion to historic houses and would almost prefer one.

I've got a very faint idea of the Durham neighborhoods. How is the Morehead Hill area, in terms of how I described our wants? Any help with neighborhoods would be much appreciated. I'd like to get a good feel of what to expect before we make a trip up there to house shop.

Hello - did you find a good source of information on cool intown neighborhoods in the Raleigh-Durham area? We are considering moving from Atlanta to the Triangle, but want to find a neighborhood like ours (Kirkwood, Lake Claire, Candler Park) in that area.

thanks,
Alexa