Durham, North Carolina

Durham
City
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 Seal Logo
Nickname(s):  Bull City,[2] City of Medicine[3]
Location in Durham County and North Carolina
Durham Show map of North Carolina Durham Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 35°58′43″N 78°54′00″W / 35.97861°N 78.90000°W / 35.97861; -78.90000
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Counties	Durham, Wake, Orange[1]
Incorporated	April 10, 1869[4]
Named for	Bartlett S. Durham
Government
• Type	Council–manager
• Body	Durham City Council
• Mayor	Leonardo Williams (D)
• City Manager	Wanda Page
• Council	Members[5] Nate Baker – At-Large Javiera Caballero – At-Large Carl Rist – At-Large DeDreana Freeman – Ward 1 Mark-Anthony Middleton – Ward 2 Chelsea Cook – Ward 3
Area [6]
• 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 [7]	404 ft (123 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	283,506
• Estimate  (2022)	291,928[8]
• Rank	71st 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 [9]	608,879 (US: 94th)
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[10]
GNIS feature ID	2403521[7]
Primary Airport	Raleigh–Durham International Airport
Public transportation	GoDurham
Website	durhamnc.gov

Durham (/ˈdʌrəm/ DURR-əm)^[11] is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County.^[12] Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County and Wake County. With a population of 283,506 in the 2020 census, Durham is the 4th-most populous city in North Carolina, and the 71st-most populous city in the United States.^[8] The city is located in the east-central part of the Piedmont region along the Eno River. Durham is the core of the four-county Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 608,879 in 2023. The Office of Management and Budget also includes Durham as a part of the Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC Combined Statistical Area, commonly known as the Research Triangle, which had an estimated population of 2,368,947 in 2023.^[9]

A railway depot was established in 1849 on land donated by Bartlett S. Durham, the namesake of the city. Following the American Civil War, the community of Durham Station expanded rapidly, in part due to the tobacco industry. The town was incorporated by act of the North Carolina General Assembly, in April 1869. The establishment of Durham County was ratified by the General Assembly 12 years later, in 1881. It became known as the founding place and headquarters of the American Tobacco Company. Textile and electric power industries also played an important role. While these industries have declined, Durham underwent revitalization and population growth^[13] to become an educational, medical, and research center.^[14]

Durham is home to several recognized institutions of higher education, most notably Duke University and North Carolina Central University. Durham is also a national leader in health-related activities, which are focused on the Duke University Hospital and many private companies. Duke and its Duke University Health System are the largest employers in the city. North Carolina Central University is a historically black university that is part of the University of North Carolina System. Together, the two universities make Durham one of the vertices of the Research Triangle area; central to this is the Research Triangle Park^[15] south of Durham, which encompasses an area of 11 square miles and is devoted to research facilities.

On the Duke University campus are the neo-Gothic Duke Chapel and the Nasher Museum of Art. Other notable sites in the city include the Museum of Life and Science, Durham Performing Arts Center, Carolina Theatre, and Duke Homestead and Tobacco Factory. Bennett Place commemorates the location where Joseph E. Johnston surrendered to William T. Sherman in the American Civil War. The city is served, along with Raleigh, by Raleigh–Durham International Airport.