Did You Know These About Durham?

Durham, NC was the site of a Native American village called Adshusheer. During the early 20th century, this American city was known for its diverse communities. Let’s learn more about this amazing and awesome city, also called Medicine City and associated with the top hospitals in the United States.

• Durham was formed when Dr. Bartlett Durham sold land to create a new station between Raleigh and Hillsborough
• Its first tobacco factory was opened in the 1850s; in the year 1865, the civil war came to a close at Durham’s Bennet Place when General Johnston surrendered to General William T Sherman.
• During the 1800s, Durham’s population rose by over 2000 while textile mills began to grow and insurance companies established base here 
• Washington Duke and his family began their tobacco empire from Durham NC; in the year 1892, Trinity college moved to this city and was renamed Duke in the 1920s. 
• One of the oldest insurance companies in the states was founded by John Merrick in the 1890s in Durham

• The land area occupied by the city of Durham, NC is around 285 square miles and its 2013 population estimate was 288,133
• The different ethnic groups residing in Durham include African American, Asian, American India, Pacific Islanders and Latinos. 
• Durham is located in Piedmont region within Cape Fear in Neuse and neighboring counties include Granville and Chatham. 
• It was formed during the 1880s from Orange and Wake Counties and early occupants of this area were Native American Indians followed by European settlers.

• Durham hosts many annual festivals such as American dance festival, festival for Eno, Bull City Blues Festival and Durham Festival for trees.
• Durham is also part of the Research Triangle Park which has many businesses and corporate companies within it and incorporates southern Durham and north Wake county
• Durham county produces agricultural goods such as wheat, barley and oats as well as tobacco, soybeans and corn
• Manufactured products include drops, surgical instruments and telecom products
• Durham County is home to the research triangle park besides the Duke and North Carolina central university and city of medicine.
• Durham county was created in the 1880s and became a place in 1823; Durham was christened during the 1850s and reestablished in 1869
• While the RDU International Airport is located within 12 miles from downtown city, temperature in this area is mostly pleasant promoting businesses and commercial activities 
• Durham is known as the City of Medicine with many medical and health related companies
• Its Research Triangle Park is a 7000 acre SE Durham based special county research and production area with more than 170 leading research firms 
• With 9 million visitors each year and close to 4000 businesses and organizations with greater than 3500 conventions or meetings in a year, Durham is the center of modern urban activity as well as trade and commerce.

• Duke University is known for having created the first unidirectional cloak for promoting invisibility which can hide objects lesser than  a single cm. Some famous Duke University alumni include Apple’s CEO T. Cook, director of film Braveheart Randall Wallace and well known interview Charlie Rose. Barcode was pioneered by George Laurer in the Research Triangle Park.
• The Duke Lemur center has the largest number of primates outside of the African city of Madagascar.
• Civil Rights movement owes its genesis to awareness and activism originating in Durham, Martin Luther King’s rallying cry for filling up the jails having been coined in a Durham church protest.
• Bull Durham refers to the name of the tobacco firm which places the city in the spotlight, While Durham came from UK, Bull was part of mustard adored by the founder of the company.
• A very well known independent folk band, The Mountain Goats are based in Durham.