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Durham, North Carolina

City of Medicine, County with MERIT (Medicine, Education, Research, Industry, Technology)

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Nestled in North Carolina's central northeastern region is Durham, a city where the brightest medical and technical minds come to live, work, and play. According to the Durham Chamber of Commerce, Durham has held the moniker, "City of Medicine," since 1981, when a study confirmed that no other American city had such excellent hospitals, medical facilities, prestigious teaching institutions, major healthcare companies, and innovative research laboratories.

It's a beautiful area as well. The landscape is blessed with 98,000 acres of hardwood and evergreen forests, and 7,800 acres of croplands, hills, dales, rivers, and streams. Durham's residential neighborhoods are situated side by side with nature. The city's historic architecture can be seen in colonial homes found in upscale areas like Forest Hills. Golf is in the air at country club communities like Hope Valley or the affluent Treyburn. Durham is also proud of its revitalized downtown area, which boasts a mix of university faculty and working-class neighbors. The 7,000-acre Research Triangle Park in south Durham is the largest university-related research park in the world.

It's no wonder that modern-day Durham is smokin', considering its history is steeped in tobacco. After the Civil War, Yankee and Rebel troops developed a passion for Brightleaf Tobacco. Demand for the product created a financial gold mine for Washington Duke, the benefactor of the university that bears his name. Now, however, Durham is no longer a tobacco town.

The "City of Medicine"

Medical professionals will find kindred souls in Durham, as nearly one in four people work in health-related fields. More than 300 companies have offices and research operations there, including Bayer Corp., Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, and Biogen. Durham's cutting-edge research firms have generated amazing breakthroughs, such as AZT (the AIDS drug) and 3-D ultrasound.

The four major hospitals—Duke Medical Center, Durham Regional Hospital, VA Regional Medical Center, and the North Carolina Eye and Ear Hospital—are home to more than 2,300 licensed physicians and interns. Additionally, 4,679 registered nurses call Durham their home.

Duke University Medical Center is one of America's finest hospitals and North Carolina's largest. It attracts top talent from all over the world and is the base for one of the nation's 40 federally funded comprehensive cancer centers. It also has several highly advanced treatment and research facilities, including an eye center and one for general clinical research. The Duke University Health System also includes the Durham Regional Hospital and Raleigh Community Hospital.

Bustling college town

At the heart of Durham is Duke University. The Gothic-style West Campus, home to Duke University Medical School, has richly detailed stonework and impressively landscaped grounds. The East Campus, home for freshmen, has several buildings designed in the Neoclassical and Georgian Revival style. In 1998 U.S. News and World Report ranked Duke the "Fourth Best University in America" because of the high quality of its faculty, students, and academic and research programs. It's a hot bed for intellectual and cultural stimulation.

The East Campus' Baldwin Auditorium is one of Durham's main performing arts hubs and offers a vast array of cultural events to please all artistic palates. You can catch national tours of Broadway shows, as well as student and faculty theatrical productions. It's also home to the Duke Symphony Orchestra, the Choral Society of Durham, and the American Dance Festival. Also noteworthy is the Manbites Dog Theater, a professional non-profit company that produces new works; and the Institute of the Art, which sponsors performance-art and world music.

Vibrant African-American heritage

Native son David Gergen, an advisor to four U.S. presidents, calls Durham the best-integrated city outside of Atlanta. The African-American community, which makes up nearly 40 percent of Durham's population, has a dominant voice in all areas of local life.

After the Civil War, Durham led the way in helping former slaves reconstruct their lives by actively promoting jobs, land ownership, business opportunities, community leadership, and vocational training. It's not surprising, therefore, that Durham boasts the nation's first African-American-owned bank (Mechanics & Farmers) and the oldest and largest African-American life insurer (North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company).

Multi-racial, multi-cultural Durham was singled out by the progressive-thinking magazine Utne Reader as the most enlightened town in North Carolina. It was honored for its success in tackling inner-city problems in innovative ways.

Arts and leisure

In Durham, there's always something to do. The Carolina Theatre—a renovated, 1926 Beaux Art theater—offers symphonies, opera, and jazz concerts. Its two art cinemas host several unusual film festivals, such as the North Carolina Jewish Film Festival, and the Nevermore Gothic and Horror Film Festival.

Museums come in a variety of forms in Durham. The Duke University Museum of Art houses ancient to modern artwork from around the world. The Hayti Heritage Center on Old Fayetteville Street features African-American works and artifacts. History buffs will enjoy visiting the Bennett Place State Historic Site, where Confederate and Union generals met to sign surrender papers for Confederate troops in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. And at the Duke Homestead State Historic Site and Tobacco Museum, there's a real sense of Durham's rich past in the tobacco industry.

Outdoorsy types can enjoy one of Durham's 10 golf courses, some of which are ranked among the top in the state. There's also an abundance of tennis courts, and soccer and baseball fields within the numerous public parks, as well as myriad public facilities for boating, sailing, fishing, swimming, hiking, and bird watching. For those who long for the ocean, North Carolina's beaches are just a three-hour drive away.

Shop 'til you drop

What city would be complete without shopping facilities? On Durham's southwest side, the 1.3 million square foot "Streets at Southpoint" is a regional mall on a grand scale, attracting consumers from as far as 100 miles away. In Downtown Durham, the Brightleaf District has turn-of-the-20th-century brick warehouses transformed into specialty shops, boutiques, art galleries, and trendy restaurants. At Ninth Street, near Duke's East Campus, you can buy New Age items, like organic produce, crystals, and natural-fiber clothing.

Play ball

Durham is home to some of the most rabid basketball fans in the country—Duke's Blue Devils have won numerous national championships. The city also boasts the Durham Bulls baseball team, the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Secret of the South

Living in Durham has numerous perks. The climate keeps you connected to nature by offering four distinct seasons, but without extremes in temperatures. Summer temperatures rarely rise above the mid-80s and winters rarely drop below 30 degrees. Autumn and spring temperatures average between 46 and 70 degrees.

Durham has all the amenities of a big city while staying in tune with nature. The rich artistic and intellectual life here allows little time for boredom. Health professionals will find a working environment filled with numerous opportunities and vast stimulation. As a place to live, work, and play, the City of Medicine may very well be the best-kept secret of the South.