Durham, North Carolina, the seat of Durham County, boasts a prime location: midway between the Atlantic Beaches and the Great Smoky Mountains.  Nicknamed “Bull City” in the late 1800’s, Durham was home to Blackwell Tobacco Company, whose primary product was “Bull” Durham Tobacco.  While tobacco and textiles sustained the economy for several decades, Durham began the transformation to a biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medicine based industry once the Research Triangle Park arrived. 

Based in southeastern Durham, the Research Triangle Park houses more than 140 widely known research companies and employs nearly 40,000.  The many companies in NC’s Research Triangle Park provide a significant portion of employment to the region.  Duke University, which employs 39,000, remains Durham’s largest employer.  This business-friendly city, whose more current nickname is the “City of Medicine”, features a healthcare industry with more than 300 medical and healthcare related companies earning residents a combined $1.5 billion annually.  Residents also have access to jobs in nearby Raleigh.

Outstanding educational opportunities abound in this colorful city ranked among the “Top 20 Places to Educate Your Child” by Forbes.com in 2007.  Durham Public Schools consists of 45 facilities, including the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, a state-run residential high school.  Institutions for higher learning include Durham Technical Community College, North Carolina Central University, and Duke University.  Founded in 1924, Duke University is one of the world’s most prestigious private universities.

Located in a vital tourist region, this vibrant community welcomes more than five million visitors annually.  Durham affords its visitors access to 40 annual festivals, 300 restaurants, numerous museums, and a wide variety of cultural sites of interest such as the Carolina Theater and the Nasher Museum of Art.  History buffs may enjoy Bennett Place State Historic Site, Duke Homestead State Historic Site & Tobacco Museum, Museum of Life and Science, N.C. Civil War Trail, Patterson’s Mill Country Store, and West Point on the Eno City Park.  Black Wall Street, the Hayti Heritage Center, and the Historic Downtown, American Tobacco, and Brightleaf Districts are also very popular. 

Durham teems with sites highlighting the beauty of nature.  These include the American Tobacco Trail, Duke Forest, Eno River State Park, Magic Wings Butterfly House, Rollingview State Recreation Area at Falls Lake, and the Sarah P. Duke Gardens.  The area’s splendor has also attracted more than its share of Hollywood’s attention over the years with notable movies such as Bull Durham, Billy Bathgate, The Handmaid's Tale, Kiss the Girls, and The Rookie filmed here. 

Sports fans have professional games and other events at their disposal throughout the year.  The Durham Bulls, the city’s most famous professional team, plays for the International League in the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.  Other teams include the Duke University Blue Devils, and the N.C. Central University Eagles. 

Durham, North Carolina, population 187,035 (Census 2000 data), occupies 95 square miles of the Tar Heel state’s heartland.  With its unparalleled entrepreneurial ambiance and diversity of cultural and recreational opportunities, Durham reigns as one of the nation’s top places for living the good life.

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Dan Brady - dbrady@bradynordgren.com, 919-782-3500
Tim Nordgren - tnordgren@bradynordgren.com, 919-782-3500
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