Durham, North Carolina

Durham
City
Durham skyline Baldwin Auditorium in Duke University Duke Memorial United Methodist Church Unity monument at Bennett Place Carolina Theatre Durham Performing Arts Center American Tobacco Historic District
Flag
Nickname(s):  Bull City, City of Medicine
Location in Durham County and North Carolina
Durham Durham
Coordinates: 35°58′43″N 78°54′00″W
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Counties	Durham, Wake, Orange
Incorporated	April 10, 1869
Named for	Bartlett S. Durham
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
Area
• Total	116.19 sq mi (300.92 km2)
• Land	115.36 sq mi (298.79 km2)
• Water	0.82 sq mi (2.13 km2)  0.71%
Elevation	404 ft (123 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	283,506
• Rank	70th in the United States 4th in North Carolina
• Density	2,457.51/sq mi (948.85/km2)
• Urban	396,118 (US: 106th)
• Urban density	2,160.4/sq mi (834.1/km2)
• Metro	588,911 (US: 96th)
• CSA	2,242,324 (US: 33rd)
Demonym	Durhamite
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	27701, 27702, 27703, 27704, 27705, 27706, 27707, 27708, 27709, 27710, 27711, 27712, 27713, 27715, 27717, 27722
Area code(s)	919, 984
FIPS code	37-19000
GNIS feature ID	2403521
Primary Airport	Raleigh–Durham International Airport
Website	durhamnc.gov

Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It has about 280,000 people. Durham has two universities, Duke and NC Central. It is northwest of Raleigh, and northeast of Chapel Hill. It is the county seat of Durham County. The city is part of a larger area known as the Research Triangle.

Historical Facts

Before Europeans came to the Durham area, there were some Native American tribes like the Eno and Occaneechi nearby.

Before Durham became a city, the land it is in was used for farming. There were many plantations which had slaves. In the mid-1800s, rail was becoming an important means of transportation, and a depot (a train station) was needed in between the towns of Raleigh and Hillsborough. Nobody was willing to give their land for the station at the time, until Dr. Bartlett S. Durham gave his land to be used for the station. The station was then named after Durham. In 1853, a post office was started near Durham Station.

During the Civil War, the armies that passed near Durham enjoyed the local tobacco. After the war, many veterans returned to Durham for more tobacco. Because of this, a strong tobacco industry began around the area, and a tobacco factory was started. Because the population of the area increased, Durham was officially incorporated (started) on April 10, 1869. In 1881, Durham County was also created, before that, Durham was in Orange County.

The Duke family was important to Durham's growth and economy. Their tobacco company, American Tobacco, was one of the most important tobacco companies in the United States, and they were based in Durham. Duke University was named after one of them. Today Duke University is seen as one of the most notable universities in the country.

NC Central was one of the first publicly funded (paid for) African-American colleges, and was started in 1924.

In the mid-1900s, people were buying less tobacco, so Durham became poorer. Some civil rights people also visited Durham during this time. The Research Triangle Park near Raleigh helped it some, but not very much.

Recently, Durham's downtown has gotten better and Durham is growing more. The old tobacco buildings are now being used for other things.

Geography

Durham is located in north-central North Carolina, near Chapel Hill and Raleigh, in an area known as The Triangle. One of the few rivers in Durham is the Eno River. It goes into Falls Lake.

Climate

Durham has a sort of mild climate with hot summers and cool winters. In the summer temperatures usually go from 90° Fahrenheit during the day to 70 °F at night. In the winter, is about 50 °F during the day and 30 °F at night. It can change more. Durham gets about 45 inches (110 cm) of rain and 6 inches (15 cm) of snow.

Transportation

Durham has a lot of transportation, or roads, trains, and airplanes. Some freeways in Durham are Interstates 40 and 85 and highway 147. Durham is right next to an airport. Durham also has a train station.

Things to see

Duke University is in Durham. Durham also has the Museum of Life and Science and the Nasher Art Museum. Downtown, there are also several tall buildings.