Durham owes much of its wealth and history to tobacco. Through the second half of the 19th Century, Washington Duke and his family grew from a single farm into American Tobacco, which controlled 90% of all cigarette production for the United States. The Duke family donated money to Trinity College, which in 1924 was renamed Duke University.
In the early 20th Century, North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, Mechanics & Farmers Bank, and Mutual Savings & Loan were founded in Durham by African-Americans. These prominent companies drew more African-American investment to Durham, to the point that Durham's Parrish Street neighborhood became known as "Black Wall Street." NC Mutual Life continues to this day as the oldest and largest African-American-owned life insurance company in the nation and as a visible part of the Durham skyline.
The last cigarette rolled out of Durham in 2000. Many of the old factory and warehouse structures have been converted into housing, retail, restaurant and office spaces. The city has changed its motto from "City of Tobacco" to "City of Medicine," based on the high concentration of medical practitioners and researchers at Duke and in Research Triangle Park, the Durham County special tax district formed in 1959 to attract high-tech jobs to the area.
There are many great attractions to visit in Durham including: Duke University (which includes the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke Sports Hall of Fame, Nasher Museum of Art, and Duke University Chapel); the Durham Bulls Athletic Park; the Durham Performing Arts Center; the Carolina Theatre; St. Joseph's Performance Hall and the Hayti Heritage Center; the Museum of Life and Science; Patterson Mills Country Store; West Point on the Eno; and three state historic sites including Duke Homestead and Tobacco Museum, Bennett Place and Historic Stagville.
Duke University has a unique Gothic architecture. Duke Chapel is a cathedral-like centerpiece that soars 210 feet high on West campus. Sarah P. Duke Gardens is one of the premier public gardens in the U.S. and has more than five miles of walkways and paths. The Nasher Museum of Arts features classical to contemporary works and just hosted the blockbuster exhibit El Greco to Velazquez.
The Durham Bulls are the most popular minor league baseball team in America, due to the enduring popularity of the 1987 movie "Bull Durham," filmed largely at the old Durham Athletic Park. They play now in the Durham Bulls Athletic Park which was designed by the architects of Baltimore's Camden Yards. The Duke University Blue Devils and North Carolina Central Eagles provide lots of opportunity for spectators through their mens and womens sports programs.
Among the historic sites, Bennett Place has the privilege of having hosted the largest troop surrender that ended the Civil War, 17 days after General Lee surrendered at Appomattox. Duke Homestead features the Duke family's mid 1800s home, tobacco barns and cigarette factory, Historic Stagville, once among the Wouth's largest plantation holdings, features an 18th century house, slave quarters and a unique great barn.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Durham (North Carolina)
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Durham (North Carolina) - updated May 2024
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Durham (North Carolina) Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
