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I agree that the general consensus about Durham being unsafe is wrong. Every once in a while there will be a crime that gets attention, and it somehow gets attributed to the whole city instead of a tiny part of it. I'm not sure why, if the same event happened in Raleigh in an isolated area no one would be saying Raleigh as a whole was unsafe. If I wasn't tied to State, I would be interested in living there.
I've been wondering if downtown Durham is safe. You know, if you're working late and it's dark and you have to walk out to your car alone?
I worked in downtown Durham for several years, and often would be there until 10pm-2am in the morning. I rarely saw another person, let alone had any trouble with being harassed.
If you are looking for a house in Durham. A great area to try is Grove Park sub-division. It has a clubhouse, huge lake, pool, tennis & volley ball courts, playground, fitness center, AND an award winning golf course! To top all of this off, HOA dues are very low & most if not all of the homes in Grove Park range from $180 - $350K. Excellent Excellent value for money!! Located conviently off Wake Forest/ Hwy 98, down the road from the 85 hwy, 4 minutes to hwy 70, 8 minutes RTP, & a straight shot to Downtown Durham in about 10 minutes.
Mrs. Henry--
Do you live in Grove Park? I've been looking for a home in Durham for several months now. I found a couple of affordable, very nice homes in Grove Park that I was interested in. (One home was right on the lake and the CUTEST little otter was swimming around in front of the house.) I also noticed that there were MANY homes for sale. It raised a red flag for me. When I checked into it, I found out that several families supported on welfare were moving in. I was a bit worried that that would affect home values in the future and was wondering if that was why there were so many homes for sale. Do you have any insight on that?
I've lived in Forest Hills, d-town Durham, since 2000. Our home is newer- built in 1950s & I love it! We are on the park, the home is solid brick with lathe & plaster walls, hardwood floors throughout - quality none of the subdivisions can come close to!
Durham has neighborhoods that are unsafe for nonresidents - avoid Alston Ave above 147 & the intersection of Southern & Enterprise unless you're looking to purchase illicit substances but otherwise is pretty darn safe. Periodically (like now) there are waves of petty theft & "smash & grab" breakins - so don't leave your bike or lawnmower outside & be sure to secure your home - pretty much like most cities. Violent crime in residential neighborhoods (even walking in the park at night) is very uncommon. The breakins currently going on are also happening in a big way in Chapel Hill - smash & grab action in the middle of the day (was just discussing this with a friend who is an insurance agent) - seems larger houses are being targeted & Chapel Hill is getting it as much as Durham (even with contents of homes being loaded into trucks!).
I love our location & would never trade it for a "gated" community - if I wanted a pool we have the public pool in Forest Hills Park (2 minute walk) or the new YMCA facilty downtown - just across 147. The park that feels like an extension to my yard, walking distance to the freshest seafood market around - Capital Seafood - quality built homes...I love downtown Durham!
I agree that the general consensus about Durham being unsafe is wrong. Every once in a while there will be a crime that gets attention, and it somehow gets attributed to the whole city instead of a tiny part of it. I'm not sure why, if the same event happened in Raleigh in an isolated area no one would be saying Raleigh as a whole was unsafe. If I wasn't tied to State, I would be interested in living there.
I agree one thing that we need to remember is that we are not totally safe in any city or community. I would say research the area codes, neighborhoods, and subdivisions that you are looking to buy in. If you think that you would like the neighborhood check it out ride by it or through it. Durham is a fairly nice city but you could have a home community with newer homes built on one street in a good area. The next street or two over may be filled with older homes in a not so good area. That is just the way that it is sometimes. My point is there are good and bad areas in north and south durham. Southpoint, old South Square mall area, downtown durham is not so bad just to name a few areas that I know of.
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