Durham, North Carolina
county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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. [9]
Durham | |
|---|---|
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): | |
 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[3] |
| Incorporated | April 10, 1869[4] |
| 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 | |
| • Total | 283,506 |
| • Rank | 75th 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[8] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2403521[6] |
| Primary Airport | Raleigh–Durham International Airport |
| Website | durhamnc |
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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.
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.
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.
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