Wow! It has been a long time since I’ve written a blog – I hope you haven’t missed me too much!
I just recently celebrated 14 years of living in Durham. When I moved to the Triangle 17 years ago, I was in a different type of sales job. My territory was Durham and Chapel Hill, but my office was in Raleigh. As soon as I mentioned my pending move to the area, I was told “you do not want to live in Durham. Cary and North Raleigh were much more desirable. Stay out of Durham.” So, I lived in North Raleigh for a few years while I got to know the area, and, during that time, I got to know Durham and its’ people, and I liked them. I also realized that the media liked to “smear” Durham whenever possible. That still seems to be the case, though maybe not as severely now. Regardless, after 3 years in Raleigh, things in my life were going through some changes – my office was moving to the airport area, my daughter’s school was being redistricted, and I was spending a ridiculous amount of time (and gas) driving to and from Durham each day. After three years of getting to know Durham, I determined that it wasn’t nearly as bad as people thought, and, it was actually a neat, fun, and vibrant city. So we moved here. And, I can honestly say, I’ve had no regrets. My daughter had a great school experience, we’ve made great friends, and we live in a great neighborhood. And, keep in mind, we made this move BEFORE construction of all of the attractions that Durham now offers, like The Streets at Southpoint Mall, the American Tobacco Campus, the Durham Bulls Athletic Park (actually built before we moved here, but the current AAA-level Durham Bulls started play after we moved), the Durham Performing Arts Center, the revitalization of Downtown, the American Tobacco Trail and much more. And just this year, Durham has received the following accolades:
I just recently celebrated 14 years of living in Durham. When I moved to the Triangle 17 years ago, I was in a different type of sales job. My territory was Durham and Chapel Hill, but my office was in Raleigh. As soon as I mentioned my pending move to the area, I was told “you do not want to live in Durham. Cary and North Raleigh were much more desirable. Stay out of Durham.” So, I lived in North Raleigh for a few years while I got to know the area, and, during that time, I got to know Durham and its’ people, and I liked them. I also realized that the media liked to “smear” Durham whenever possible. That still seems to be the case, though maybe not as severely now. Regardless, after 3 years in Raleigh, things in my life were going through some changes – my office was moving to the airport area, my daughter’s school was being redistricted, and I was spending a ridiculous amount of time (and gas) driving to and from Durham each day. After three years of getting to know Durham, I determined that it wasn’t nearly as bad as people thought, and, it was actually a neat, fun, and vibrant city. So we moved here. And, I can honestly say, I’ve had no regrets. My daughter had a great school experience, we’ve made great friends, and we live in a great neighborhood. And, keep in mind, we made this move BEFORE construction of all of the attractions that Durham now offers, like The Streets at Southpoint Mall, the American Tobacco Campus, the Durham Bulls Athletic Park (actually built before we moved here, but the current AAA-level Durham Bulls started play after we moved), the Durham Performing Arts Center, the revitalization of Downtown, the American Tobacco Trail and much more. And just this year, Durham has received the following accolades:
- RDU International Airport – voted Most Efficient Small/Medium Airport in North America (Air Transport Research Society, August 2011)
- Durham – Ranked #5 on the List of America’s Top 20 Geekiest Cities (Forbes, August 2011)
- Duke University Medical Center – Ranked #9 Best Hospital in the Nation (US News & World Report, July 2011)
- Durham – Ranked #31 Best Place for Business & Careers (Forbes, July 2011)
- Durham – Ranked #2 of the Top 100 Best Places to work in IT (Computerworld Magazine, June, 2011)
- Durham-Chapel Hill – Ranked #1 Southern Metro With Highest Annual Average Pay for All Occupations (Triangle Business Journal, May 2011)
- Durham Performing Arts Center – Ranked #2 Most Attended Theatre Nationally (Pollstar, May 2011)
- Durham – Ranked #1 Best Place to Retire (CNN Money, March 2011)
- Durham-Chapel Hill – Ranked #3 among the Healthiest Housing Markets (Hanley Wood Market Intelligence, March 2011)
- 42nd Street Oyster Bar, RDU Airport – Ranked among Best 10 Restaurants at U.S. Airports (USA Today/Frommer's, March 2011)
- Raleigh-Durham-Cary – Ranked #2 Brain Magnet in the Nation (Forbes, February 2011)
Add to these accolades our location – 2.5 hours to the Beach, 2.5 hours to the Mountains; 1 hour to Pinehurst (home to some of the best golf in the country), 2.5 hours to Charlotte; 4.5 hours to DC (too close, in my opinion, but that’s another blog); and 6 hours to Atlanta.
Of course, we have the Durham Bulls, one of the country’s most popular minor league baseball teams; the Carolina Hurricanes (NHL Stanley Cup Champions in 2006), and some of the best college athletics in the country. In fact, I challenge you to tell me an area that is as competitive in college sports – UNC and Duke are 8 miles apart, NC State University is about 25 miles away, and Wake Forest is about 75 miles away - as the Triangle.
Durham really is (and has been) a great area. I’m proud to call it home – for 14 years now!
(Note, neither the Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau nor the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce paid me to write this, but they should, don’t you think?)
Please, feel free to comment with your thoughts on Durham. Thanks!
