Page Contents for Durham, North Carolina

Statistics & Facts

Location

Weather & Climate

History & History-related items

City Attractions

Economy

Government

Chamber of Commerce.

Organizations, Churches, and Sports.

Libraries.

Schools.

Miscellany

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Statistics & Facts

The North Carolina state capital is Raleigh.
The population of Durham is approximately 187,035 (2000), 228330 (2010).
The approximate number of families is 78,871 (1998), 93441 (2010).
The amount of land area in Durham is 179.416 sq. kilometers.
The amount of surface water is 0.195 sq kilometers.
The distance from Durham to Washington DC is 228 miles.
The distance to the North Carolina state capital is 18 miles. (as the crow flies)
Durham is positioned 35.98 degrees north of the equator and 78.91 degrees west of the prime meridian.
Durham per capita income is $ 30,680 (2000).
Durham median income is $ 66,082 (1999).
Durham average annual rainfall is 41.7 inches per year
Durham average annual snowfall is 7.5 inches per year.
Durham average temperature is 59 degrees F.
The average low temperature is 47.3 degrees F.
The average high temperature is 69.8 degrees F.
The average winter temperature is (January) 39.6 degrees F.
The average summer temperature is (July) 77.7 degrees F.

Location

twenty-three miles from the Virginia border, in the north central portion of North Carolina's rolling Piedmont region, four hours east of the mountains and three hours west of the Atlantic Ocean beaches.

Here is a location page for Durham.
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Climate

four distinct seasons, with few extremes in temperature. There are usually around 217 days of sunshine each year. The hottest month is usually July with the coldest usually being January. The wettest month is August and the driest, October.
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Weather

seasonal, though Durham has no real extremes in weather. Here is a weather page for Durham. Here is another weather page for the Durham area.
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History & History Related Items

Here is a history page for Durham.

Here is another history page for the city.

When the North Carolina Railroad wanted to expand its lines through this area in the mid-1800's, they approached one of the large landowners, William Pratt, about giving right-of-way to the rails. Mr. Pratt, fearful of the noisy trains frightening the horses of his customers, refused the rails. Dr. Bartlett Snipes Durham, after hearing of the refusal, offered the railroad four acres. In appreciation of his gift, the new station was named for Dr. Durham. The settlement was named Durhamville. Later, it was shortened to Durham's Station. It began to be known as Durham's and finally it was officially shortened to Durham. The official founding for Durham was April 26, 1853 when the post office was established. The incorporation took place on April 10, 1869.

In 1881, Durham had grown tremendously, so much so that it felt a need to break off from Orange County. Durham County was created 17 April 1881.
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The founding of Durham

26 April 1853

The incorporation of Durham

10 April 1869

Attractions

Durham is part of the North Carolina Research Triangle Region which also includes Raleigh and Chapel Hill. It's nicknames include the "Bull City," and the "City of Medicine."

North Carolina Museum of Life and Science

Duke University

Sarah P. Duke Memorial Gardens

West Point on the Eno
5101 North Roxboro Road
Phone: 919-471-1623
The Eno River State Park is situated on a 40 acre section of a 400 acre preserve of nature which once served as home to the Shocco and Eno Indians. The park includes walking trails, streams, and rapids.

Duke Homestead & Tobacco Museum
2828 Duke Homestead Road
Durham, NC 27705
Phone: 919-477-5498
The ancestral home of patriarch, Washington Duke, who decided to market the local Bright Leaf tobacco after seeing Union soldiers help themselves to the golden "weed."

Durham Bulls Baseball
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Economy & Industry

diverse. Here is page about the economy in Durham.
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Durham City Government

City of Durham
101 City Hall Plaza
Durham, NC 27701

The City of Durham, the fifth largest city in North Carolina, is the only municipality in Durham County. Both city and county governments are managed under a professional manager structure. The city functions with an elected mayor and council while the county is governed by a popularly elected board of commissioners (with an appointed chair). Some local governmental departments have been merged or coordinated for greater efficiency

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The Durham City Flag is Blue, for courage, red, for action and progress, gold , for quality growth, and white, for high ideals. There are seven stars which represent arts, commerce, education, medicine, human relations, sports and historic preservation. The constellation Taurus (or Bull) is Durham's sign.

Durham Chamber

Durham Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 919-682-2133
Fax: 919-688-8351
email: chamber@durhamchamber.org

Durham Organizations

Durham Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 919-682-2133
Fax: 919-688-8351
email: chamber@durhamchamber.org

Durham Libraries

Durham County Library
300 N. Roxboro St.
P O Box 3809
Durham, NC 27702
Phone: 919-560-0100

Durham Schools

An Education page for Durham County

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Durham Public Schools

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HIGHER EDUCATION

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Duke University
Phone: 919-684-2823
Duke University was established in 1892 on a 60-acre parcel at the western edge of Durham.

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Durham Technical Community College
1637 Lawson Street
Durham, NC 27703
Phone: (919) 686-3300

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North Carolina Central University

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The Research Triangle Park, consisting of universities in the Raleigh-Durham area is the largest research and development institution in the world. The universities include: Duke University, North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina. All are within 25 miles of each other. The Research Triangle Park has a land mass greater than the state of Rhode Island. Durham

Miscellany

The population of Durham was:
1869 - 258
1990 - 136,611
1998 - 167,349
2000 - 187,035
2002 - 195,800

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Durham is located in the Eastern Time Zone