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I'm considering moving into the Durham area soon because I want a permanent job as a teacher, and that's where a lot of the work is. What are some of the better areas in Durham to live in as far as crime goes?
North Durham (west of Guess, anywhere north of Infinity/Latta; some OK areas east of Guess)
Established in-town neighborhoods near downtown with strong, active neighborhood associations (Northgate Park, Trinity Park, Watts-Hillandale, Duke Park, etc.)
Some of the newer neighborhoods out towards Brier Creek down US 70 or off Sherron Rd.
There are other good areas in town certainly; some of them are in good "pockets," others are more urban-pioneer areas.
27713, 27707, and 27703 to a lesser extent are some of the zips to consider in Southern Durham as BCR mentioned - within all of these there are good areas and less good areas, but he's covered nicely where to target your search. I am not as familiar with North Durham.
Depending on your price range, we can perhaps better point you in a certain direction - also things like single family home or townhome, newer or older, suburban or urban, etc etc etc.
I agree with 27713. I think that is where the Southpoint Mall is. They have The Hills at Southpoint development going in over that way. REALLY nice homes.
I'm considering moving into the Durham area soon because I want a permanent job as a teacher, and that's where a lot of the work is. What are some of the better areas in Durham to live in as far as crime goes?
Also depends on your price point... 27713 is Southwest Durham (near the mall).
Up near Erwin Road is nice, but I am not sure what the crime is like:
If you decide to venture out of 27713 (South), 27707 (West), and 27712 (North), then get yourself a good realtor that knows *Durham* (not the Triangle, but DURHAM). Like BCR alluded to, there are some great pockets around central Durham, but you need to have somebody that really knows the area to show you around. Crime can swing wildly even from one block to the next on certain streets.
I agree with layze. One caveat, don't look at zipcodes when looking at Durham. I live in 27713 (27713 is NOT some magical radius around Southpoint mall) now and used to live in 27707 and it is literally a patchwork of area quality (think Lakewood and NCCU hoods). Literally around the corner can be a stark contrast to someplace nice. Sometimes there is a spillover effect. The majority of these zips are decent, but don't just look at an address with a certain ending after the 277 and think oh! this should be good.
I agree with layze. One caveat, don't look at zipcodes when looking at Durham. I live in 27713 (27713 is NOT some magical radius around Southpoint mall) now and used to live in 27707 and it is literally a patchwork of area quality (think Lakewood and NCCU hoods). Literally around the corner can be a stark contrast to someplace nice. Sometimes there is a spillover effect. The majority of these zips are decent, but don't just look at an address with a certain ending after the 277 and think oh! this should be good.
Very true...price is typically a very good indicator in Durham. If you see 3200 square feet, built in 2005, for $249,900, then chances are it's not in the best area or there's something else going on.
On the flipside, if you see 2000 square feet built in 1994 for $280k, then chances are you're in a good spot.
Same advice applies to most every area - zip codes are helpful to narrow it down, but nothing replaces first-hand knowledge by a local expert.
If you need a realtor who specializes in, lives in, and has worked in Durham for years, drop me a PM and I'd be happy to share mine - he helped us for over a year with our most recent purchase.
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