Why we love Durham

We were recently asked by a friend of ours to write a few sentences about why we love Durham for a class that she is taking. Here is our response:

We love Durham.
We love the diversity, creativity, and intelligence of the Durhamites. Durhamites are all not here for a university or for a particular company, but rather there is a broad spectrum of folks with large numbers of educated people interested in the arts, food, culture, etc. But there's also a realness about Durham - blue collar, Durham-born and bred for generations folks that grounds it and gives it character. Its not a hippie, yuppie island of people trying to isolate themselves in a paradise of their own making.

We love the friendliness (perhaps it comes from being in the South) of Durham's people. People are open and welcoming to each other, smile when they pass in the street, and willing to lend a hand. There isn't a natural suspicion of others' motives that we've felt in other cities.

We love the energy the community has for the revitalization of Downtown. So many are genuinely excited about this process. Some create new businesses and the community is so eager to support them. And its created a positive cycle that seems to gain momentum everyday. We feel that we can participate and can be integral part of it because it's so community-driven. This might be due to the small size of Durham which means that everyone has to play a role. Everyone is talking or blogging or emailing about the new restaurants, activities, etc (and so are we) and so we hear about the new things and can participate.

And the community is energized for good reasons - there are great things to do in Durham and nearby. Universities and their academic and athletic events, restaurants/bars, the Farmer's Market, the Durham Bulls, music (DPAC, Pinhook, and Cat's Cradle, etc), and much more. Its location near Raleigh and Chapel Hill gives us access to those places while still enjoying everything we love about Durham.

There is real history to Durham and its discussed and celebrated. Its buildings are being revitalized and repurposed. While there are dark parts of Durham's history, those aren't being ignored, and the great parts of its history are being celebrated.