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When moving to the area I did a lot of research online. In doing so, I came across CNN.com which allows you to compare cities in terms of financial, housing, education, weather, health, etc. As you'll notice, Cary was voted as the fifth "Best Place to Live" by Money Magazine. I did, however, add Raleigh and Durham to the site so others could see and compare the statistics for each area.
While the Streets at Southpoint is a really nice mall, it has already had 2 murders on it's premises since it opened. Just a couple miles down the street from Streets you would find some pretty bad neighborhoods, which seem to seep into the nice parts of the town.
One thing I never understood was why Duke University never played a bigger part in trying to help clean up Durham. You would think with all the money it has and all the rich people produced by Duke that it would have participated more in the community to try and help it's image. The Duke campus is spread wide over Durham and you would think they would want to help create a feeling of safety both on campus and around it. Instead, we get the Duke Lacrosse debacle.
I've sent you a PM with some questions, but I will do my best Yoda impression by simply saying, "Very much concerned I am" in reference to the bad neighborhoods near Southpoint Mall.
One thing I never understood was why Duke University never played a bigger part in trying to help clean up Durham. You would think with all the money it has and all the rich people produced by Duke that it would have participated more in the community to try and help it's image. The Duke campus is spread wide over Durham and you would think they would want to help create a feeling of safety both on campus and around it. Instead, we get the Duke Lacrosse debacle.
That's a really good point - glad you brought that up, because I've often wondered that myself. UNC seems to be a little more intergrated with the Chapel Hill community, whereas it seems like Duke is somewhat detached from Durham. I agree, Duke could play a very big role in cleaning up and revitalizing Durham, but that's lost among the other priorities, I suppose.
The western areas of Durham County are seeing a lot of nice, attractive developements from single family homes to townhouses. I lived in North Raleigh for 21 years and absolutely loved it. (I now live on the coast in Morehead City, Carteret County). I had occasion through my work to get to all areas of Durham. Downtown and near downtown Durham can be a dangerous place, that is no secret. Once one gets further "out", that changes. One really has to just go there, spend some time on the telephone with some real estate agents and the picture will quickly form. There great developments for young professional people right near or in the Research Triangle Park. The big issue is SCHOOLS. Wake County and Orange County offer endless possibilities for nice houses, relatively large lots, great schools.
The Apex area of southwest Wake County is booming. Lots of prospective developments with attractive, affordable homes for the young working families. Wake County and Orange County are both becoming Meccas for retirees also. North Carolina, in the last three years is rated by many magazines, journal, plant relocation publications, et al, as the best place to live and work,
Heh...hope no one got the wrong idea about what I said earlier about real estate agents---my point was simply that there has been evidence to point to a bias among some.
Anyways...looking at crime statistics without analyzing what the numbers mean, is an insult to one's intelligence, IMO. Who really gives a darn about murder numbers, when the VAST majority of murders out there are targeted by one person to another? In other words, if two people living in a run-down neighborhood on the other side of town hate each other enough to kill one (or a drug deal goes bad to result in a shooting), how does that affect you, really?
If you were to count only the murders that happen by random people killing innocent bystanders that they don't already know, I highly doubt ANY city in NC would have a high amount of that....including Durham.
If you're not involved with gangs, drugs or whatnot, and you're just an average joe going to a restaurant or a show or shopping in downtown Durham, downtown Raleigh or whatever...you're really not more at risk of being a victim of anything than anywhere else, honestly.
Muggings? Can happen anywhere...even at a suburban shopping mall lot. Just use common sense like staying in well-lit areas, watching your surroundings, don't be alone too late at night, etc. It's not rocket science.
You know, everyone talks about how bad Durham is, and how bad the schools are, but Durham is just like any other area. There are good parts and bad parts. And the schools are the same as everywhere else as well. There are good teachers and bad teachers. The Durham schools offer just as many AP courses and honors courses as the schools in Wake County and Orange County. Plus, if all you are concerned with are schools, save yourself $100,000+ and send your kids to private schools.
We decided to drive through Durham years ago on one of our "fact finding" excusions. As another poster stated above, thereare nice areas, it's just that you have to pass through not so nice ones to reach them. I was in Durham 2 months ago, and I found the suburban areas off 98 to be a bit worn down... for lack of a better term. It reminded me way to much of where we were leaving.
The real deciding factor for us was the quality of the schools. That is why we ruled it out.
As to the comment about Duke, Yale has a similar position in New Haven. Teh whole "Town & Gown" conflict is not unique to Duke. I thought with all the LAcrosse case controversy that there would be more of an effort at bridging the gap but who knows?
I lived in South Durham (near Southpoint) for three years, and recently moved to an established neighborhood near I-85. The community I live in now is very responsive; my neighbors are friendly, diverse, and supportive. This involvement sometimes includes awareness of criminal activity spurred by commericial areas surrounding our neighborhood- and it appears to be higher than that of southern Durham. On the other hand, I was likely oblivious to all but the most obvious crimes in that area, including a double homicide.
Durham is less safe than any other city in the Triangle IF you generalize crime across the city. Viewed at the neighborhood level, however, many neighborhoods, including those near Duke, are quite safe. To say that all of Durham is unsafe is a skewed portrayal. Like many cities, you have to be aware of your surroundings, and not take safety for granted.
The lacrosse controversy represents some grave economic divisions between communities in Durham, but ignores the many engaged citizens that make Durham an exceptional place to live. Many people are unaware of how active Duke is in revitalizing Durham. Several famous grads years back are responsible for West Village and future loft renovations that have become a tipping point for positive urban renewal. As a response to the lacrosse incident, Duke has purchased homes around East Campus and is overseeing their renewal.
Duke is at a disadvantage in assisting Durham compared to UNC. For one, UNC is a public school, about three times the size of Duke, in a town a quarter the size of Durham. Chapel Hill residents are largely very affluent, Durham's economic classes span the extremes. While many even in the Duke community believe the univeristy could do so much more for Durham, comparing the two universities is unfair and inaccurate. Duke simply has a larger task to take on, much larger.
I think, based on what I read, that the comparison was more along the lines of the fact that duke is quite expensive to attend for undergraduates it is an , estimated 46k per year, while carolina (unc) is around 15k (this includes for both schools, tuition, room and board). So, the belief then is duke may have a smaller population, but they are paying a huge amount each year to attend the university. I think people would then think that if the students (in reality their families) can afford to spend that kind of money on an education each year, maybe people would in turn help the city. I know that sounds lofty, and no one takes into consideration that probably many students are on financial aid, and that many students do help durham. I am just saying, on the surface, the college has an amazing endowment, students who are loyal (I know many duke students and they LOVE their school), and the thought would be, give back to the city that "supports" your university.
I am not trying to start controversy here, just pointing out the card on the table kind of obvious that people who have lived in this area for many many years do think about.
Leigh
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seahawk
