Durham has been ranked in the top ten best places to live by the U.S. News & World Report, and as the 12th best place to live by CNNMoney.com.
Few American cities can match the eclectic variety that Durham offers: top-rated education and research facilities; a revitalized, dynamic downtown; charming historic neighborhoods with oak-lined streets; two acclaimed universities; cutting-edge technology firms; great health care with six major hospitals; big-city culture and entertainment combined with a small-town atmosphere.
Recreational activity abounds in Durham with three of North Carolina’s top 40 golf courses, 100+ public tennis courts, three recreational lakes, 20 miles of greenways and trails, as well as the must-see Sarah P. Duke Gardens and its new neighbor, the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. There are 20 major festivals, six science and nature centers, two symphony orchestras, plus a wide array of other arts and cultural attractions and activities. The Durham Performing Arts Center (www.dpacnc.com), a 2700 seat theater two miles from campus, opened in November 2008; it brings world-class Broadway productions, numerous additional concerts, comedy and special events at reasonable prices (next year’s Broadway show series starts at under $20/ticket). Adjacent to the theatre is the Durham Bulls baseball stadium (www.dbulls.com) and the newly renovated American Tobacco entertainment district. Shopping options in Durham range from the Ninth Street Shopping District, a friendly, funky group of restaurants and specialty shops, to The Streets at Southpoint, which has 140 unique shops and restaurants (featured as one of the '10 Great Places to Spend It All in One Place' by USA Today). As for the gourmands, there’s something to please every palate. Durham has 25 regionally or nationally ranked restaurants – offering everything from Carolina barbecue to continental cuisine. For more on Durham, see http://www.carolinaliving.com/heartlands/durham.asp.
Cost of Living in Durham
The cost of housing in Durham is 23% below the national average. In fact, the cost of housing is so low that many of the graduate students own their own home. Below we list for comparison how much you would have to make in different areas of the country to have the equivalent standard of living as making $25,000 in Durham (salary chosen for comparison purposes only, numbers are taken from http://www.bestplaces.net/COL/).
Chapel Hill: $34,000
Atlanta: $30,000
Evanston: $35,750
Palo Alto: $62,498
Los Angles: $41,500
Cambridge: $43,648
Princeton: $39,500
New York: $43,750
San Diego: $39,250