Durham Apartments and Rentals

Durham seems to have a knack for staying ahead of the game. (Duke University basketball fans can confirm that's a fact.) The city's appeal goes beyond forward thinking, however. Durham is a progressive community that gets regularly rated as one of the best places to live and work. So whether you're here to join the big brains or just to soak up some big city charm, you'll soon find yourself filled civic pride. All you need is a Durham apartment.

While many people worry their fortunes will go up in smoke, it was just the opposite in Durham. This city grew rich on tobacco profits. Washington Duke turned a single farm into American Tobacco, which produced nine-tenths of the cigarettes in the United States. Duke University is named after this family. Durham also served as a center of African American business and stayed active during the country's civil rights struggle. As the tobacco industry waned, Durham shifted tacks to science and health care. Today, the city is known as a liberal, trendy town in an otherwise Republican state.

Durham is filled with large and small neighborhoods that run the gamut in terms of cost and convenience. Lakewood and Northgate Park tend to be affordable and on an upward trend. Forrest Hills has an old money feel to it. Old West Durham has an active and progressive neighborhood association that makes the area more welcoming.

Duke University is one of the United States' most prestigious schools and a major Durham draw. Along with the nearby University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, Duke helps form the so-called Research Triangle. Also in Durham is North Carolina Central University. This historically black university, now part of the UNC system, has been around since 1910.

If you're coming to Durham in search of work, chances are you'll find opportunity in the health care industry. While Tobacco used to be the big business here, medicine and scientific research have since taken precedence. Nearly 140 major firms operate in Research Triangle Park, including Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline, and IBM.

The cost of living in Durham is almost exactly the national average. That means that whether or not you find the city expensive will depend on where you're coming from. If you live in an expensive city now, Durham may feel reasonably priced. If you're coming from a smaller town, you may have some adjustment ahead of you. The rent on one-bedroom Durham apartments ranges from about $750 to $1150 a month. Ten percent of residential property is vacant at any given time here, making finding housing relatively easy.

One of Durham's claims to fame would be the minor-league baseball team the Durham Bulls. You can go cheer on this team, made famous by the film Bull Durham, for as little as $5. There are also Duke University basketball games in season, but those tickets are a lot harder to come by. The Duke Lemur Center has the world's largest collections of lemurs this side of Madagascar; tours are by appointment. The Nasher Museum of Art is worth a visit, as is the Museum of Life and Science. You can also catch a concert or play at one of Durham's many local clubs and theaters.

If you're looking for some extra excitement, keep an eye peeled for one of Durham's special events. The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is the largest doc fest in the United States. It comes around each April. The American Dance Festival hits Durham in the summer. You can also go hear famous authors read at the excellent indie bookstore, The Regulator.

To find your ideal Durham apartment, start by clicking through the listings here on Rent.com®. We'll help you find just what you're looking for.