Durham Real Estate

Any search for property in central North Carolina will include Durham real estate. Home to the world-famous Duke University, the city of Durham is also the Durham County seat. Some 28 miles northwest of the state capital Raleigh, Durham lies in easy reach of I-85 in the heart of the gently rolling hills of the state's Piedmont region.

Durham Real Estate in Context

Founded not long before the Civil War, Durham arose as a railroad depot. After the war it grew rapidly as a tobacco center. The city's downtown is an historic landmark, featuring a good collection of 19th century Durham real estate. This includes the unique brickwork of early tobacco architecture. Both Liggett and Meyers and the American Tobacco Company were established in Durham.

In 1887 a school called Trinity College was moved from Randolph County to Durham, thanks to donations in cash and kind by Washington Duke and Julian Carr. After Duke's son James donated $40 million to the school in 1924, it was renamed Duke University. Since then it has grown to a world-renowned institution. Its three campuses frame Durham real estate--the Gothic west campus, the Georgian east campus, and the meeting facilities and student housing of Central Campus.

Durham is also known as the city of medicine. This is in part because healthcare is a major industry and employer. The Duke University Medical Center activities also lend to the name. The payroll of the health-related companies and practices runs to approximately $1.5 billion dollars yearly.