Durham Overview
Nestled in the pine forests of the North Carolina Piedmont lies one of the most popular, historic and unexpected cities in the country — Durham, North Carolina. The site where the Civil War officially ended and one of the nation’s earliest railroad towns, Durham was a longtime tobacco and textile hub that has transformed itself into a modern metropolis, where high tech and healthcare are the new commercial drivers. This enterprising Southern town known both as the Bull City (thanks to Bull Durham Tobacco) and the City of Medicine (thanks to Duke University) somehow unifies these dueling identities into one of the liveliest, most fun and inviting places to live in the South — or maybe anywhere in the country.
Durham is also one of the most diverse and fastest-growing cities in the state. The rich, cultural fabric of the city in the Research Triangle makes for a warm, welcoming atmosphere, where great food, attractions and innovative businesses thrive. With its urban vibrancy and its Southern charm, the Bull City is quickly becoming a major relocation destination, growing by more than 60,000 since 2010 and almost 10,000 since 2020 alone, far outpacing its sibling cities of Raleigh and Chapel Hill.
The 300,000 residents of Durham have access to some of the best jobs, healthcare and educational facilities in the world, thanks to the combination of academic powerhouses like Duke, UNC and NC State and corporate giants like IBM and GlaxoSmithKline. But one need not be a giant to thrive in this city. Start-ups, small-scale entrepreneurs and creatives all make a happy home in the City of Medicine, and the unique balance of Durham’s economic ecosystem remains one of the city’s major appeals and the key to its sustainability.
If you’re interested in moving to Durham, learn more below about the cost of living, job market and the Bully City lifestyle below.
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Unpacking Cost of Living in Durham
With a population of nearly 300,000 people, Durham is the second-largest city in the Research Triangle, but it has the lowest cost of living. The median household income — $74,710 — is also the lowest, though, falling just shy of the national average but four thousand below Raleigh’s and more than $10,000 below Chapel Hill’s.
The cost of housing in Durham, where the median home value is $316,600, a stark contrast to pricy Chapel Hill, where residents pay more than $537,000 on average. Rental rates align with the national average, and the median household in Durham spends just shy of $1,300/month on rent. Beyond real estate, other expenses in the Southeast region tend to fall below national averages, too, including transportation, healthcare, food and insurance.
Exploring Education and Job Opportunities in Durham
As part of the Research Triangle and the home base of Duke University, Durham has a diverse and exciting job market with a well-educated workforce. More than 53% of Durham residents have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher, making a compelling argument for businesses to base themselves here. UNC and NC State complete the trifecta of major academic institutions in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area, but there are 20 colleges, universities and community colleges in this academically rich region.
As the so-called City of Medicine, Durham’s single biggest industry is education and healthcare, which employs more than 77,000 area workers. But professional and business services is close on its heels. This industry’s 62,000 employees are a testament to the corporate investment and public-private partnerships in this diverse business hub. Trade, transportation and utilities is still a major industry sector for the Triangle, although it did experience a modest contraction in 2023, and it still employs 40,000 area residents.
Whether you want to work in auto manufacturing, insurance, IT or life sciences, Durham is the place to be. Companies like Cisco, IBM, Fidelity Investments and GlaxoSmithKline all have corporate offices in the Bull City, and roughly 375 exciting companies are based in Research Triangle Park, helping to earn Durham and North Carolina coveted spots on lists from Forbes, CNBC, WalletHub and Growella, like “Best State to Do Business,” “Best City for Millennials” and “Best Place to Start a Business.”
Unemployment in Durham is more than a point below the national average now, and it’s held steady for the past 12 months, resting at 3.3% in March 2024. Another boon to Durham residents? Higher wages. The average wage in Durham is nearly $5/hour more than the national rate, and the median household income is nearly $10,000 more than the state average. Check out the latest average mean wage for your occupation in Durham.
Getting Familiar With Bull City Lifestyle
If you’re moving from a big city and are worried that you won’t find enough things to do in Durham, fear not — the Bull City is built for fun. In addition to the amazing museums, restaurants and historic sites, Downtown Durham has a designated area known as the Bullpen, where cocktailing on the go is permitted — encouraged, even — so you can grab a beer, some bubbly or a banana margarita and bop around the shops — so long as you don’t leave the Bullpen.
Durham keeps the city’s energy up-tempo with lots of fun events, too. There are Durham Bulls games, for those who need a minor league baseball fix. There are monthly festivities like the Durham Night Market, held on the American Tobacco Campus, which displays Durham’s creatives. And there are annual celebrations like Kwanzaafest, held on New Year’s Day.
Then there are the perennially quirky events like the Beaver Queen Pageant, where Durham’s most daring residents don their best aquatic rodent costumes and bite it out for the crown. In more traditional fare, the American Dance Festival — now, remarkably, in its 91st season — will once again display the most innovative choreography in modern dance. Performances by Ballet Hispánico, Les Ballet Afrik and the Black Label Movement are just three of the stellar troupes lined up for 2024. Movie buffs will want to attend the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and the Hayti Heritage Film Festival, which highlights Black Southern works.
There are hundreds of activities for kids in Durham, but one of the absolute favorites is the Duke Lemur Center. What feels like the set of Zoboomafoo is an important research center, home to crown lemurs, fat-tailed dwarf lemurs, red-bellied lemurs and 200 other endangered friends. Kids can learn more about other primates at Duke’s Museum of Natural History.
Another prime, pint-size pick is the Museum of Life and Science, where you can wander through the woods among dinosaurs, butterflies and black bears, test your Spidey skills on the climbing webs and rope walks and try out hundreds of other brain-boosting activities on the 84-acre spread.
If your family just needs a getaway but can’t get too far away, Eno River State Park is the perfect spot to take a day trip. This forested area just 20 minutes outside of town has shady trails along the river with cool, swinging bridges, and you can bring canoes and kayaks to get out on the water.
After all this exceptional fun, you’re going to want an exceptional dining experience to refuel. And to make sure you have the energy you need to keep going, you should probably make that pitstop a caffeinated one. When you think of central North Carolina, your mind may not immediately think of coffee, but Durham is really making a name for itself in the roasting industry. Counter Culture Coffee is one of the region’s favorite brews, which you can get at many stores around town, including the awesome Durham Co-Op, but there are other wonderful shops, too, like Cloche, Guglhupf and the Beyu Caffé.
Durham’s other famous brews are also something to froth over. Ponysaurus’ suds have some serious giddyap, like the Golden Rule Saison with tangerine and white pepper and the Counter Culture Coffee Baltic Porter. Durty Bull has a menu of cheeky offerings, like The Future Freaks Me Out hazy IPA, No I’m Doesn’t imperial stout and You Said You Could Sell It rice lager. Other breweries to check out: Fullsteam, High Wire Brewing and DSSOLVR, where you can also get Jell-O shots and take part in some metal-geeky Dungeons & Drafts nights.
When you need a pick-me-up in the summertime, LocoPops in Old West Durham will chill out the whole family with their amazing popsicles. Cardamom brownie, pomegranate-ginger, Mexican chocolate. They’ve even got a “pup pop” for pooches in a flavor Elvis might have devised: peanut butter-banana…with a rawhide stick! You can also order unexpected specialty items from this purveyor of sweet treats, like dried heirloom beans, lemon-infused olive oil and locally produced, non-toxic bug spray.
Cheeni is one of the best new additions to the City Center area of Durham. This cheery and vivacious establishment offers exceptional South Indian cuisine from chef Preeti Waas, who earned herself back-to-back nominations for the James Beard Best Chef Southeast award and was named a semifinalist in 2023 and 2024.
When you’re strolling around Downtown Durham and your family can’t agree on where to eat — a rare predicament, right? — the Durham Food Hall will be your saving grace. You’ll find everything from mushroom banh mi buns, seaweed everything bagels with vegan faux lox and spicy shrimp crunch wraps. And, yes, there’s also pizza, ice cream, and liquor — no one’s going home unhappy.
Moving to Durham With America’s #1 Mover®
Ready to move to Durham? United Van Lines is one of the nation’s best long-distance moving companies. We can provide you with seamless relocation services and help make your cross-country move to Durham stress-free.
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Relocating to Durham with a licensed, professional moving company like United Van Lines can alleviate the hassle of planning your own move. We offer customized, full-service moving packages that include packing and unpacking services, car-shipping, storage services, debris removal and more.
No matter if you’re moving cross-country or locally to Durham, United Van Lines can tackle all your moving needs.
If you’re making a local move to the Bull City, our interstate Raleigh-Durham area movers can provide local moving services in the Research Triangle independently under their businesses and brands.
Take advantage of all the moving resources from United Van Lines. Our moving checklists, packing tips and city guides can save you a lot of time and trouble.
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