bigz

I am considering a job at Duke and have to make a decision before I can go visit. My satisfaction with my location is a big part of my happiness (or unhappiness) in a job so knowing a little more about the area is important.

I would like to live in a city environment, preferably one with cool architechture and lots of interesting things to see. Ideally, I would live downtown, in walking distance from lots of things (restaurants, coffee, funky bookstores, etc). I'd like to get around for the most part on public transportation (or walking). I don't mind using my car to get to work (though I refuse to live in gridlock every day) but would like to be able to walk to entertainment on weekends. I don't mind gritty- in fact, I prefer it to some degree. I like a place where I need street smarts but am not at constant risk of getting shot. In other words, my tolerance for the "dirt" of a city is probably higher than most (though of course if I can find the funk without the grit, I'll take that too).

If Durham doesn't fit this description, is it possible to live in a nearby city and work at Duke?

bonniebroad

From your post:

"am considering a job at Duke and have to make a decision before I can go visit"

You have to decide on the job BEFORE you can go visit? Something doesn't sound right to me......... am I misunderstanding you?

As far as living in Durham, especially downtown (or near the Duke campus), and walking/using public transportation for your daily life? I would not be happy there. Do investigate the crime statistics for for Durham, and talk to others working at Duke to see where they live. I live right next door in Raleigh, which would be a possibility for you, but I think you would like Chapel Hill (about 15 minutes from Duke, home of UNC) best of all. Public transportation is not very good in the Triangle, if that is important to you. The lifestyle you seem to envision would be best suited to Chapel Hill.

soccr

Related to Dukie and live in Chapel Hill; a lot of Duke people live in CH. That would probably be how you would reconcile your interests with the relocation, but I'm really sorry you can't visit first, because I don't think it's possible to give you a fair picture of the place here.

But to be somewhat brutally honest, there is no "city environment" here "with cool architecture and lots of interesting things to see." Durham has a skyline of 2-3 defunct tobacco buildings and an insurance company, and "downtown" is a haunted, empty place, although a number of new projects are promising to revive it --but it'll be a tough road. There is an area of Durham between "East Campus" and 9th St. that has interesting old/nice houses and you can walk to 9th st., which is also an area of shops, book stores, restaurants, etc., but you probably should live elsewhere for a while to observe whether this would be a possible neighborhood for you -- it's dicey at times but interesting. Otherwise, Durham's split between areas that will look suburban to you and areas that will look like urban blight. There are lots of Dukies who live in the south, west, or north parts of Durham that border Chapel Hill (or the east/north parts of CH), but people tend to value space such that it all is, as I said, pretty suburban-looking, but without a cool city-core to enliven it.

Public transportation just isn't going to do it here, either. No one is really able to survive without a car except students, and most of them have cars too. A few very very hardy souls bike to work from their expensive houses in the Duke Forest area. The good news is that if you live in Durham or Chapel Hill, you can usually avoid anything like gridlock to get to Duke - 10-20 easy minutes to work. The worst traffic jams are on I-40, between Raleigh/Cary and Durham/Chapel Hill. You won't have to cope with that for the most part.

If you live in Chapel Hill, you at least have a college-town downtown with coffee shops, theater(s), restaurants, and conceivably you could find a place to live where you could walk to the shops.

We came here from Chicago and missed the city life a lot -- still do, sometimes. But we have come to value the tradeoffs in life style -- more easy going, walk into a theater without standing in line, short distances and ohmigod is it pretty here! Esp. in the spring with the riots of flowers and flowering trees, and the fall with the crisp but warm golden afternoons.

bonniebroad

Soccr... Bigz is just not going to find what he envisions here, I'm sure, but he may find other things to love! Wanted to ask, what do you think of our "sauna summers", coming from Chicago area? It's the only thing I don't like about my beautiful home here, in the state where I was born!!!! The summer day (June 21) that I moved back here, 13 years ago, it was 98 degrees with humidity that was almost visible! I thought I had moved to HELL but all the others *pros* make up for it!;-)

bigz

bonniebroad and soccr- thanks for your "brutal honesty." It is greatly appreciated. Yes, it is unfortunate that I can't visit before I make a decision, but sometimes that's how these academic job offers go. It's good to hear that Chapel Hill may have some good stuff to offer and that it's relatively close.

Please, keep the advice coming!

soccr

bonniebroad, I moved to Chicago from WashDC and frankly, I think DC's summers are worse than ours. At least here it cools off at night (usually) thanks to all the trees. Chicago's weather was such a trip -- record-setting cold in the winter and heat in the summer, and violent weather in between. But near the Lake it wasn't so bad (except for lake-effect squalls). Actually, I'd like to see the stats, but I have the impression that it goes over 100 degrees more often in Chicago than it does in Rawlydurm.

I admit, the ice storms and hurricanes are getting a little old here, but otherwise, so much of the year is so nice that I can -- mostly -- put up with the occasional misery.

And we learn, don't we, how to deal with the protracted summer: do work, errands, etc. early in the morning; park according to shade/angle of the sun; eat light; use ceiling fans as well as A/C so you don't have to have that awful A/C air blowing at top speed. I only get cranky in early Sept., when I'm really DONE with summer but we're still having heat spells. In Chicago I was cranky from November to April!

soccr

PS to bigz: what is the plan for your accommodations on arrival here? Will Duke pay temp. housing for a while (not usual, but they sometimes pay for house-hunting expenses before your arrival, so why not after?

bonniebroad

soccr, don't ask me where the ice storms and the two-foot snow storm came from because it's UNHEARD OF HERE!!! Now I loved the snow storm, but the ice I can sure do without!!! Now the hurricanes and the tornadoes........ well, I guess it's God's way of getting our attention!;-)

Now this heat & humidity....... well, like you say, you learn to be active early and late, and do the A/C stuff during the middle, right? But it is beautiful, isn't it? Good grief, even Don Imus came to Raleigh and went on and on about the trees...........

So, come on down, bigz! I bet you'll find a niche perfect for you!

ncgrrl

I grew up in Chapel Hill and now live in Durham. Yes, Durham has a 'grittiness' and more crime than CH, but as long as you stay away from the drug dealers in Durham (and off N.Graham in CH) you shouldn't get shot at.

I'm not sure what you mean by cool architechture. No retro 20's designs, but there are some historic properties and former tobacco warehouses being converted in to home/shopping/office complexes. However, there aren't any grocery stores in the downtown area. On Broad St. (near Duke) there is Wellspring with a lot of wonderful stuff with a make-your-own salad bar and food to go.

One factor for NOT living near campus -- student housing. Remember when you were in college and what you did? Do you want to live near that now?

Parking at Duke or any university -- you'll probably get a pass for a park-and-ride lot so you'll get your walking requirement.