Neighborhood guide

Durham

The Bull City. Tobacco warehouses turned into restaurants and lofts, Duke's Gothic campus, a minor-league ballpark everyone loves, and the best food scene in the Triangle. (Tyler's wife practices dentistry here, so he's in Durham a lot.)

Where it is

Durham on the map

Durham anchors the northwest corner of the Triangle, with Chapel Hill to the southwest and Research Triangle Park on its southeastern edge.

Zoom and drag to explore; the shaded outline is the town limits.Open in Google Maps →

Durham has the most distinct personality of the Triangle's cities — creative, a little gritty around the edges, and fiercely proud of it. If you want brick, character, and a restaurant reservation that's hard to get, this is your town.

The feel

Downtown Durham is built around its tobacco past: the American Tobacco Campus, with its water feature and restaurants beside the Durham Bulls' ballpark; Brightleaf Square; and the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC), one of the busiest theaters in the country. The neighborhoods ring outward from there — Trinity Park and Old West Durham near Duke's East Campus, the bungalows of Old North Durham and Duke Park, Forest Hills with its larger historic homes, and Hope Valley to the south.

Ninth Street, next to Duke's campus, is the classic college-town strip. And the food is the thing: Durham's restaurants, bakeries, and coffee shops regularly land on national lists, and the density of good places within a few square miles is unmatched in the region.

Getting around

Durham sits at the junction of I-85, I-40, and the Durham Freeway (NC-147), which runs straight into Research Triangle Park — commonly 15–20 minutes from most of the city. RDU airport is about 20 minutes, Chapel Hill 15–20, and downtown Raleigh 30–35.

Things to do

Tyler's picks

Where I'd send you for dinner

  • Downtown core — M Sushi, Pizzeria Toro, and a dozen others within a few blocks of Five Points.
  • Cocoa Cinnamon — the coffee shop that became a Durham institution.
  • A Bulls game — the cheapest great night out in the Triangle; get there early for the food stands.

Tyler to review and add his personal favorites before launch.

Ready to look?

Homes for sale in Durham

Browse what's on the market, or tell Tyler what you're after and he'll watch the listings for you.

More neighborhoods
The insider's list

Triangle market news. And the occasional restaurant tip.

A short email, once in a while — what's moving in the market, what's opening around town, and where to eat this weekend.