Durham

About Durham

Durham ( DURR-əm) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, being the county seat of Durham County, with outskirts of the city limits also extending into Orange County and Wake County. Durham is the 4th-most populous city in North Carolina and 70th-most populous city in the United States with a population of 283,506 at the 2020 census. The four-county Durham–Chapel Hill metropolitan area has an estimated 620,000 residents, while the greater Research Triangle area has a population of over 2.37 million people. The city is located in the east-central part of the Piedmont region along the Eno River.

A railway depot was established in 1849 on land donated by Bartlett S. Durham, the eponym of the city. Following the American Civil War, the community of Durham Station expanded rapidly, in part due to the tobacco industry. The town was incorporated by act of the North Carolina General Assembly, in April 1869. The establishment of Durham County was ratified by the General Assembly 12 years later, in 1881. It became known as the founding place and headquarters of the American Tobacco Company. Textile and electric power industries also played an important role. While these industries have declined, Durham underwent revitalization and population growth to become an educational, medical, and research center.

Durham is home to several recognized institutions of higher education, most notably Duke University and North Carolina Central University. Durham is also a national leader in health-related activities, which are focused on the Duke University Hospital and many private companies. Duke and its Duke University Health System are the largest employers in the city. North Carolina Central University is a historically black university that is part of the University of North Carolina System. Together, the two universities make Durham one of the vertices of the Research Triangle area; central to this is the Research Triangle Park south of Durham, which encompasses an area of 11 square miles and is devoted to research facilities.

On the Duke University campus are the neo-Gothic Duke Chapel, the Nasher Museum of Art and the Wallace Wade Stadium. Other notable sites in the city include the Museum of Life and Science, Durham Performing Arts Center, Carolina Theatre, and Duke Homestead and Tobacco Factory. Bennett Place commemorates the location where Joseph E. Johnston surrendered to William T. Sherman in the American Civil War. The city is served, along with Raleigh, by Raleigh–Durham International Airport.

Text: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Durham weather: 7-day forecast

Source: National Weather Service (NOAA).

Live webcams in Durham

Webcams: Windy.com

Living in Durham

Median household income

$81,619

Median home value

$392,800

Median rent

$1,508/mo

Median age

35.1

Map of Durham

Tap any street on the map to see it in Street View below. Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Durham Street View

Drag the image to look around and tap the arrows on the ground to move. If it says there is no imagery, tap a nearby street on the map above.

Durham, NC population

Durham had 283,506 residents in the 2020 Census.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Census.

Durham at a glance

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (Gazetteer, ZCTA), USGS GNIS, Wikidata.

Towns near Durham

• Gorman6.7 mi NE
• Chapel Hill8.6 mi SW
• Morrisville10.3 mi S
• Carolina Meadows10.6 mi SW
• Carrboro11.2 mi W
• Governors Village11.2 mi SW
• Governors Club12.6 mi SW
• Hillsborough12.7 mi NW
• Butner13.9 mi NE
• Cary14.1 mi S
• Creedmoor16.0 mi NE
• Fearrington Village16.0 mi SW

Straight-line distance between town centers.

Frequently asked questions about Durham