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Excellent perspective for newcomers - don't make assumptions about an area until you've seen it personally.
(I think you can forgive yourself for liking "new new" when you were younger! A "few" years ago, we were excited to have our first shiny, new "cookie cutter" home, and now as our family is getting more mature, we appreciate the appeal of established communities with history, too. Durham understands, and welcomes you back, prodigal son! )
1. 2 hours from beach and 3 1/2- 4 from the mountains.
2. people are cool
3. March madness
4. Falls Lake and Lake Jordan
5. close to hwys 40, 85, and 95-- if you like road trips, this is extremely convenient
Cons:
1. I dislike humidity TREMENDOUSLY
2. it drops ice in the winter, not snow
3. Don't really like the public transportation. 4. NC State fans
5. I can't really think of a 5th. I moved away 'cause I grew up there and needed to get out for a while. I'd probably move back there, though.
Sorry about that, but we haven't had much to cheer about lately. I guess we can get annoying when we're losing. Congrats to Kay Yow coming back to the sideline! That's really something to cheer about.
Bull City Rising, I love your description of the older neighborhoods and everything included in them. A good friend of mine living in one once told me that if you can find a neighborhood with a goodly number of elderly folks with some younger families and children, you'll have a wonderful mix.
I guess you might want to mention that Durham is an older tobacco town so quite a few of the brick buildings are being revamped.
We checked into the crime once because we considered moving to Durham. Basically, the downtown area and east are the worst. You can check with the Crime Analyst in Durham and get some good information (560.4258 Ext. 276). They're putting in some new neighborhoods a few miles up 70 from Brier Creek in the hope the crime will lessen, but currently it's pretty high.
What needs to happen imo is some male DINKS need to get involved being big brothers to the many fatherless young men there who get into trouble. That would probably go a long way towards making a difference.
Bull City Rising, I love your description of the older neighborhoods and everything included in them. A good friend of mine living in one once told me that if you can find a neighborhood with a goodly number of elderly folks with some younger families and children, you'll have a wonderful mix.
Thanks; and, funny you should mention that. In the five houses neighboring ours, we have a few married couples w/no kids, a couple of houses with young kids, and an awesome neighbor who's 90 years old and has lived in her house almost her whole life. Her childhood best friend, also in her late 80s, lives right next door to her! I hope I'm as bright, sharp, and able to take care of myself as she is when I'm 70!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skipstone
I guess you might want to mention that Durham is an older tobacco town so quite a few of the brick buildings are being revamped.
We checked into the crime once because we considered moving to Durham. Basically, the downtown area and east are the worst. You can check with the Crime Analyst in Durham and get some good information (560.4258 Ext. 276). They're putting in some new neighborhoods a few miles up 70 from Brier Creek in the hope the crime will lessen, but currently it's pretty high.
The areas to the east of downtown are definitely the worst. Downtown "per se" is low crime, but there are some areas with higher crime bordering downtown on the northeast/east side. Doesn't tend to spill over but it is unfortunate. Durham actually has a 'crime mapper' online at http://www.ci.durham.nc.us/gis_apps/..._entryform.cfm, along with the analyst.
I know the neighborhoods you're talking about north of Brier Creek and south of the US 70/Miami Blvd. intersection, like Brightleaf. Personally... I'm not a fan of that area. Not a high-crime area, but still very "rural" and somewhat rundown, not a lot of shopping options other than B.C. If it were me and I were looking at the Mineral Springs/Sherron/US 70 area, I'd probably just go down to Brier Creek, or to the west/southern side of RTP. That said, there are great 'deals' there.
What needs to happen imo is some male DINKS need to get involved being big brothers to the many fatherless young men there who get into trouble. That would probably go a long way towards making a difference.
So the passion and depth of my last post left me thinking, you know, I've been here a while... I should say why.
In part, hanging out with the fun folks on City-Data is a nice 'multitasking' break during the weekends/evenings (at times when I'm often on the computer anyway, catching up on the job or doing some volunteer work). Popping on to see what's new is a nice mini-break.
But there's a deeper reason. For me, it goes back to the early 1990s, the first time I came to Durham, with family on a college trip to see Duke, among other schools. I grew up in Orlando, as I've mentioned here before, and always loved things that were new New NEW. New highway, or shopping mall, or subdivision? Beautiful! I adored the new and abhored the old. (Mind you, at this time much of what surrounded the core of Orlando still felt "new" -- the expanding shock wave of suburban expansion that leaves in its wake ex-new strip malls and neighborhoods that quickly devolve into tomorrow's slums. But that's later in the story of that town.)
So I arrive in Durham, young and inexperienced in the world and so completely sure of myself. Mind you, this is just five years after American Tobacco closed; during a period when I believe Liggett was still open; before the new ballpark, or Ninth Street's resurgence, or Southpoint. This was a sleepier Durham. An old town.
I hated it. I thought Duke was just okay but Durham was awful. I wrote in a diary I kept during the trip that Durham was "like Sanford, only worse," referring to an older, historic, racially-diverse town with a wonderful yet unappreciated history. I hated Sanford, too. I hated the way Sanford smelled, the way it looked, the way no one could be bothered to open a Circuit City or a KMart where, you know, people might actually _want_ to shop.
I wrote Durham off my mind for years to follow. College happened elsewhere, and my job let me live in lots of different places. Charlotte, for one. Orlando, again. And Richmond, then the D.C. area. Louisville. Then Boston for several wonderful years with my best friend, my wife. And by this time, the suburban life I craved as an Orlandoid all those years no longer held the appeal of life in a city, in a place surrounded by history and a sense of authenticity, of place.
Friends of ours, inspired like so many others on city-data to "move south, young woman -- and bring your DH, whatever that is," opined they wanted to move to Fayetteville. We convinced them, based on feedback from friends, that they should really think about Raleigh. Or Chapel Hill. (Still, no Durham.)
After they got settled, we ventured down to visit them. My expectations were so low, I didn't have any. And, lo, we loved the area. The Triangle in general, yeah... and we got to see CaryApexRaleighCarrboro and liked them all fine. But we both really loved Durham.
So when the chance came for DW (why do people on here say DH but never DW? anyhoo) to come to grad school down here, we jumped at the chance, even over several other Great Schools in Great Cities where people want to live. We wanted to live here, and not Raleigh, or Chapel Hill.
Durham.
And we're staying. We kicked the tires in an apartment for a while, then bought a house. Started getting active in the community. Reading up on the news (the good and the bad -- Durham gets its share of both.) Feeling like it's home.
So, why am I here always saying good things about Durham? Maybe it's just karma, the payback I owe in some cosmic accounting. I prefer to think that it's because I was there once... making assumptions and misassumptions, judgements and misjudgements. And I like to tell people what those are.
This is not to say that Durham is not for everyone. It certainly isn't, and I would never presume it to be so. But I hate for people who might _really want_ the good things in a place like Durham to be discouraged by the same false impressions I developed so many years ago.
So. Hi.
BullCity Rising, for those of us who are still considering Durham as an option for our move, THANK YOU!!! It so wonderful to have someone on this board who lives in Durham and who is so passionate about the city. You are a wonderful ambassador. I'm glad you and your DW have found a true home where you can plant real roots!
I really hope there aren't many Duke fans in the Raleigh metro area. I have no problem with Tar Heel and Wolf Pack fans, but goodness Duke fans make me puke. They are so annoying. In all seriousness I would find it hard to live in that area if its a haven for Dookies.
I really hope there aren't many Duke fans in the Raleigh metro area. I have no problem with Tar Heel and Wolf Pack fans, but goodness Duke fans make me puke. They are so annoying. In all seriousness I would find it hard to live in that area if its a haven for Dookies.
Funny...all sports fans are annoying to me, in one way or another.
I just want to set the record straight about Durham. I moved to southern Durham, near The Streets at Southpoint, November of 2005. I moved down from a very rural area of Massachusetts. This is my first experience living in a city…..if you even want to call this area of Durham a city. After LIVING in Durham for over a year, I can truly say I love living here. There is so much to do and everything is kept up so well. The only area of Durham I avoid at night is east central Durham. That area is where you will find most of the crime. It is an area that has not kept up with most of Durham. If you avoid that area, you will find that Durham has so much to offer. Northern Durham County is very rural, with lots of land and farmhouses. West central Durham has Duke University and many older and very nice homes. Southern Durham is where everything new is located, including the fabulous Streets at Southpoint mall. Most of the people that bash Durham are people that do not live here. If you do not live here, you do not know how good it is. When trying to get advice on Durham, listen to people that live here, not people that like to bash from afar.
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Congrats to Kay Yow coming back to the sideline! That's really something to cheer about. 
Duke Fans
RALEIGHROB,
