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Ok, I've been here (on these boards) for a while, and I have learned a lot from you all about the area which is great. I know a lot of you hate Durham from the other threads that I've read (RaleighRob is the only one who gives me hope about Durham), but why?
Are there any parts of Durham that you would raise a family? Is it so unsafe that you have to put bars on your windows? What is it about Durham that gives everyone the shivers? I live in a college town where they say crime is high, but I have never ever felt unsafe here. Is the crime in Durham gang related crime? I don't mind living next to blacks, asians, or hispanics. I guess what matters more is that I live next to people who are friendly and law abiding people. The schools are bad I hear (and we will have school age kids in less than 2 years), but I know there is an elementary, middle, and high school with an IB program. Does anyone have any personal info on these schools? I guess I just don't want to rule it out completely just because everyone says it's so horrible. I want to keep our options as open as possible. Please be honest, I'm just a little curious about Durham. Thanks.
I am right there with raleighrob, I do not think durham is all bad....I lived there for three years. I think, historically, durham has not been as economically advantaged as its counterpart of chapel hill. There are areas of durham that have faced more crime issues and drug issues, but I think you can say the same for raleigh. The difference is raleigh is bigger than durham, so statistically it seems like there is higher crime in durham. I have had friends (and family) who have lived in durham for year, they love it. So, yes there are some beautiful areas in durham. There has been major controversy over the school system in durham for a number of years. Parents trying very hard to work with the school board to make change, disagreements within the school board, fights between parents and school board members, etc. So, it has been on the news "the state of school in durham". I do think it depends on the school, but in comparison across the board, to wake county schools durham does not perform as highly.
If I were to move to durham, I would call the police station first and determine where the high crime area are, and what those crimes are (gang related, drug related, etc) and I would steer clear of those areas. I think we have heard (in the local media) more about drug and gang related events in durham, but who knows if that is actually the case or it is reported more?
I think many areas in durham have neighborhoods that have residents who love the area. I am in a mom's group called trianglemommies and there is a member who has this link on her signature, it may help you figure out durham!
Thanks, Leigh. I will be sure to check it out when we get there. My husband has been to the area twice now and says he didn't think much of Durham looked all that bad and that we should consider it. We will rent first, so that will give us some time to figure things out. But by judging from the lack of responses, it seems as if many people just don't have many nice things to say about it unfortunately.
Honestly, I don't think there are probably too many people who have lived there that have moved to the area recently. I do think renting is an excellent option as it gives you time to drive around and look at things. I have clients doing just that, renting for 6 months while they are looking. For them, it was an excellent option. Durham has some great shops, brighleaf, 9th street and I used to go running alone when I lived there. I never felt like I was in danger, I felt like the people who lived in the neighborhoods where I went running really loved their homes and were keeping them up beautifully, and I wasn't in a posh part of town.
I would suggest you get on the trianglemommies board and ask the women on there for durham advice, there are a number of families on that board who live in durham! They can give you some insider scoop!
But by judging from the lack of responses, it seems as if many people just don't have many nice things to say about it unfortunately.
Eh...no. Remember, with a few exceptions, , most of the folks in this forum are either newcomers or people planning to move here.
And those folks usually only know what they've been told...sometimes by sheer rumor...but also often by real estate agents based in Wake County. Not to blast real estate agents obviously (many are great)...but recently a local TV station even did a "undercover" report that was pretty eye-opening. There were real estate agents that companies in RTP have referred their moving employees to, usually based in Wake County, were giving out false & negative info to out-of-state transplants about Durham ("oh you don't wanna live THERE")...and that's only if they're asked about it...usually they won't even bring it up as an option.
The basis of the discrimination? Could be a myriad of things...racism (Durham is more african-american than most NC cities), classism (larger blue-collar population there), or maybe something as simple as they're trying to get a higher commission (since Wake County is much more pricy). Who knows!
Eh...no. Remember, with a few exceptions, , most of the folks in this forum are either newcomers or people planning to move here.
And those folks usually only know what they've been told...sometimes by sheer rumor...but also often by real estate agents based in Wake County. Not to blast real estate agents obviously (many are great)...but recently a local TV station even did a "undercover" report that was pretty eye-opening. There were real estate agents that companies in RTP have referred their moving employees to, usually based in Wake County, were giving out false & negative info to out-of-state transplants about Durham ("oh you don't wanna live THERE")...and that's only if they're asked about it...usually they won't even bring it up as an option.
The basis of the discrimination? Could be a myriad of things...racism (Durham is more african-american than most NC cities), classism (larger blue-collar population there), or maybe something as simple as they're trying to get a higher commission (since Wake County is much more pricy). Who knows!
Wow! thats like equating Wake County realtor(s) to be lower in ethics than a used car salesman!
aaahhh but raleighrob you forgot to add in that in wake county realtors usually get 2.4 percent commission on the sale of a house, whereas in durham they get 3 percent.................
we are not all that bad. I think though, if you have lived in durham it makes it easier to tell people the good things along with the bad, instead of people who have never lived there, visited there, who just believe what they hear
Ah, I think that a reason some real estate agents might not offer up Durham
as a place to live is probably it's crime rate.
Here is a link to a recent story I found on the Durham Herald's website : http://heraldsun.com/opinion/columni...68-783895.html.
This excerpt address the violent crime in Durham:
"The North Carolina Department of Justice published an annual summary report titled "Crime in North Carolina - 2005." It includes actual crime rates statewide and by selected cities from 2004 - 2005. Murders, rapes and aggravated assaults increased in Durham in 2005. Durham had more murders then Fayetteville, Greensboro, Raleigh and Winston-Salem in 2005.
Reviewing the crime rates per 100,000 persons by county is even more sobering. Durham has a violent crime rate of 688 crimes committed per 100,000 persons. Only five counties out of the 100 counties in North Carolina have higher crime rates then Durham County. In other words, ninety-five percent of all North Carolina counties have lower violent crime rates then Durham County. These are facts, not perceptions, misperceptions or any other kind of misinformation. "
There are some nice areas in Durham, I know I grew up there. The problem is you have to go through the bad ones to get to them.
I've noticed that some people feel a strong desire to prove Durham is a safe place to live. One such person purchased a home and shortly after saw one a neighbor wearing her backpack that was recently stolen from her home. Instead of calling the police to inform them she felt it may cause the person to retaliate. For some reason she still convinced it's a safe place, if you discount her neighbors.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RaleighRob
Could be a myriad of things...racism (Durham is more african-american than most NC cities), classism (larger blue-collar population there), or maybe something as simple as they're trying to get a higher commission (since Wake County is much more pricy). Who knows!
I think there's a stigma that's long been attached to Durham. Facts are facts - yes, statistics show that the per capita crime rate is higher, income is lower, etc... unfortunately a lot of people hear those things and tend to think it reflects on the whole city. I think it's also necessary to point out that a lot of this violent crime happening in Durham is drug or gang-related - if you don't associate yourself with this sort of crime and maintain a safe distance from it, then I think it tends to be a lesser concern.
There are a few desirable areas in Durham to live - from what I know, the further south in Durham you get, the better the neighborhoods seem to get. The Southpoint area was a big step forward for Durham's development I think - and Durham is certainly reaping some benefit of being part of the "Triangle Metro" as far as residential and population growth goes. One point in favor for Durham is the proximity to RTP - the drive is a lot easier is you don't find yourself having to face the pain of Interstate 40 rush hour on a daily basis.
The Southpoint area was a big step forward for Durham's development I think - and Durham is certainly reaping some benefit of being part of the "Triangle Metro" as far as residential and population growth goes. One point in favor for Durham is the proximity to RTP - the drive is a lot easier is you don't find yourself having to face the pain of Interstate 40 rush hour on a daily basis.
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.
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, most of the folks in this forum are either newcomers or people planning to move here. 
crime rate
