Durham is a city located in North Carolina. As of the 2000 census, the
city had a total population of 187,035. It is the county seat of Durham
County6 and the home of Duke University.
Law and government
Durham operates under a council-manager government. The current mayor is
Bill Bell; town council members are Cora Cole-McFadden (Ward 1, mayor pro-tem),
Howard Clement, III (Ward 2), John Best, Jr. (Ward 3), Eugene A. Brown (at-large),
Diane Catotti (at-large), and Thomas Stith, III (at-large).
Geography
Durham is located at 35°59'19" North, 78°54'26" West (35.988644,
-78.907167).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 245.8 km˛ (94.9 mi˛). 245.1 km˛ (94.6 mi˛) of it is land and 0.7 km˛
(0.3 mi˛) of it is water. The total area is 0.29% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 187,035 people, 74,981 households, and
43,563 families residing in the city. The population density is 763.1/km˛
(1,976.4/mi˛). There are 80,797 housing units at an average density of
329.7/km˛ (853.8/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city is 45.51% White,
43.81% African American, 0.31% Native American, 3.64% Asian, 0.04% Pacific
Islander, 4.75% from other races, and 1.94% from two or more races. 8.56%
of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 74,981 households out of which 28.7% have children under the age
of 18 living with them, 38.2% are married couples living together, 15.9%
have a female householder with no husband present, and 41.9% are non-families.
31.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.2% have someone
living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size
is 2.37 and the average family size is 3.01.
In the city the population is spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18,
14.1% from 18 to 24, 35.6% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.3%
who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every
100 females there are 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over,
there are 89.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $41,160, and the median
income for a family is $51,162. Males have a median income of $35,202
versus $30,359 for females. The per capita income for the city is $22,526.
15.0% of the population and 11.3% of families are below the poverty line.
Out of the total people living in poverty, 19.4% are under the age of 18
and 13.2% are 65 or older.
Durham has sister cities Arusha, Tanzania, Durham, England, Kostroma,
Russia and Toyama, Japan.
Sports
Durham is probably best-known for the Durham Bulls International League
baseball team. A movie involving the franchise, Bull Durham, was produced
in 1988. The Bulls play in the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, South of
downtown, constructed in 1994. Designed by HOK-Sport, the designers of the
Camden Yards in Baltimore, the stadium has 10,000 seats and is fronted by
an office building built by the owner of the team, Raleigh's Capital
Broadcasting. Now with one of the newest and most impressive stadiums in
the minor leagues, the Bulls generally generate crowds of 500,000
attendees a year. Previously, the Durham Athletic Park, located North of
Downtown, had served as the team's homebase. It has been preserved for the
use of other minor-league teams as well as for concerts sponsored by the
City of Durham.
Passenger transportation
Private vehicle: Most travel in Durham is by private vehicle on public
streets.
Air: Raleigh-Durham International Airport is just south of Durham on I-40.
Interstate Highway: I-40 and I-85
Passenger Rail: Amtrak Carolinian and Piedmont offer daily service to
Charlotte and Raleigh, where connections can be made to Miami, Washington
DC and New Orleans.
Local Bus: Within Durham, the DATA bus system. The Triangle Transit
Authority operates buses that serve the region and connect to municipal
bus systems in Raleigh and Chapel Hill.
Trails: The American Tobacco Trail's northern terminus is in downtown
Durham.
Bicycle: All public buses are equipped with bicycle racks.
