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Hayti was mentioned. I would also recommend that you start with any of the HBCUs in the area and look in those areas, as the neighborhoods that are known colloquially as "sketchy" tend to be more economically integrated that it appears at first blush. You can have one block with middle-class folks, with maybe 1 weird neighbor on the block, and then another block that is "sketchy" and then it goes back to middle-class.
Again, the HBCUs are basically rooted in the traditionally black neighborhoods so you generally want to start there.
To that end, there is not a neighborhood on the level of, say, PG county in Maryland. It's pretty easy to say that PG county is simply the largest and most concentrated area of middle-class and upper-middle-class black folks, but even there, you will find "sketchy blocks" in the midst of $700k+ homes.
Growing up in the area in a "Jack and Jill" sort of environment, I can say that many of the traditionally middle-class black neighborhoods have been gentrified and now bear little resemblance to what they were before. That's why I'd recommend starting with the HBCUs; the internet has allowed a chance for community outside of physical proximity. There's a lot of info and lots of folks on Twitter and the like and everyone is connected that way, even if they are not living in the same neighborhood.
Durham is kinda funky with its neighborhoods and you can have some Very Nice Homes and turn the corner into Sketchyville and turn another corner back into another area of Very Nice Homes. I do think a lot of the neighborhoods are racially pretty diverse (not so many all white neighborhoods, if any). Check out the area around NC Central. I don't know it well enough to say where Very Nice-ville is and where Sketchyville is, although I do know a couple of people who teach there.
As a former resident and someone who is from and grew up in Downtown Durham, I can tell you that is IS NOT where you want to live since you are a professional and not a "thug." Not joking.
Hope Valley area near Southpoint is nice, as well as anywhere near Duke. Downtown is cheap, but is also the ghetto, full of crime, but honestly as of late has become more Hispanic than black, and crime has increased to even higher levels. Bethesda, Raleigh Glenwood area, or Morrisville/Carpenter area is a reasonable commute to Durham as well.
I don't think you have been to downtown Durham in probably a decade
I think people here tend to be well intentioned but are a little uninformed.
Durham is a very diverse city so it would be fairly difficult to be in an area where you would feel out of place. Not saying there aren't pockets - but more likely than not, you will feel comfortable.
I would recommend looking around Ellis Rd & S. Alston Ave. Maybe even the southern part of MLK Pkwy. Avoid living around Southpoint unless you enjoy unnecessary traffic and higher rental prices. Those areas I mentioned tend to be quiet, are close to RTP (probably the best commute you'd find in the Triangle), and there has been new construction aimed at attracting people like you - white collar RTP transplants.
The reason why those (RTP) people more often than not choose Wake suburbs is a mix of reputation, demographics, and schools.
The local high school for that area is Hillside - you can do a quick internet search to get a feel & understanding for the demographics for that area/school (it's frowned upon to point out the obvious here... but let's just say it's what you're looking for). The area is safe, mostly quiet, and out of the way. In addition to being a quick commute to RTP, you're also close to Southpoint, downtown, Brier Creek, and all major highways in the area. Once you learn all the back roads you won't have to deal with much traffic either.
The other area I would recommend, and where I have enjoyed living in the past, is the Braggtown neighborhood. It's a historically black community, that unlike Hayti, was not destroyed in the 50's and 60's. It's on the other side of town though, and while it would fit most of your needs, the downside is your commute to work would go from 10-15 minutes to 25-30. Maybe more if you would be commuting during 'rush hour'.
Another important thing to mention: the area immediately surrounding NC Central has more than a few public housing communities, low income apartments, and homeless shelters. This is a sad fact & not prejudice. It's not the nicest looking area and while there are some streets/neighborhoods that are 'okay', these are houses and filled with long-time residents from the area. Coming from Atlanta you would most likely find it po'dunk & depressing. Just how I see it. Most of the students I've known at Central that came from out of state have expressed that. Generally people here tell others to avoid that area, so I'm a little surprised to see the tables turned. It's not where I would recommend looking to rent.
What is the fastest internet speed available in Durham?[/b] (I currently get 105/50 in Atlanta, but that is with Comcast which is not available in the area.) Does TWC/Frontier offer anything faster than 50/5?
In the area, the advertised TWC tiers are supposed to go up by a factor of ~2-5x during end of 2015 as they introduce "twc maxx".
Yes, Durham county in general and Durham city as well have significant AA populations--in fact there is a lot of history there of some of the earliest Black-run businesses in the area (The Mutual building downtown, one of the tallest buildings in downtown, was a Black-owned insurance company, for example).
Avoid the East/Southeast part of Durham which as others have said, and you would know instantly, is "the Hood". But the racial diversity of the city, whatever the neighborhood, is a great mix, and I can't imagine that there's any neighborhood that would be too Lily-White for you too feel comfortable. I might suggest just north of downtown, some of the older areas, but really, a drive around the city will show you lots of places.
The City-Data page on Durham has a lot of info, but the map feature is really cool; you can change the drop-down to any number of Census factors, including race, to see where the concentration is (though recall what I said above about "The 'Hood" just Southeast of downtown. You might want to look at both the racial mix and income to find more middle-upper class neighborhoods with more diversity.
But really, someone who TRIED to find an area in Durham with no Black neighbors would have a hard time doing so. It's a great city with a mix of all kinds, and a Renaissance going on with so much new stuff going in.
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