Durham, North Carolina, is known as The City of Medicine. Duke University (established 1838), world renowned for its educational standards, its teaching hospitals and state-of-the-art medical research, is located here. Fifty percent of the biotech firms based in North Carolina are located in Durham in Research Triangle Park. Durham's business community is integrated into the medical and research community. The largest research facility in the world is also one of the largest industrial parks: Research Triangle Park, NC, is located right in Durham.

Duke University Medical Center, Durham Regional Hospital, the North Carolina Eye & Ear Hospital, North Carolina Specialty Hospital, the VA Medical Center, and Durham's physicians' offices and clinics provide employment for almost 1/3rd of the local population.

According to Time Magazine Duke University Medical Center is the:

• #4 medical center in the US
• #2 physical therapy in the US
• #1 in physician assistants in the US
• #2 healthiest city for women in the US
• #9 in microbiology in the US
• #5 in pharmacology/toxicology

According to US News Duke University Medical Center is among the best Graduate Schools in the United States, and the VA Medical Center is listed in the top 11% of all hospitals nationally, and has been cited for outstanding work in Geriatric Research.

Number 3 on the Top Best Places to live and work in the United States according to Forbes Magazine, Durham is located 20 miles northwest of Raleigh, the state capitol of North Carolina. Durham's population in the 2000 census was 187,035.

North Carolina Central University, Durham Technical Community College, Center for Employment Training-Research Triangle Park, Dudley Beauty College, Carolina Beauty College 3, and Watts School of Nursing are also located in Durham, which may explain the extremely high percentage of population with a bachelor's degree (or higher).

Designated as National Historic Landmarks, are the Duke Homestead and Tobacco Factory, the Bull Durham Tobacco Factory, and the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Building. Duke University Chapel is one of the most visited sites in Durham. Historic Landmarks include many Afro-American landmarks such as Pear Street, (known as the black Wall Street), North Carolina Central University , and no mention of heritage would be complete without the Piedmont Blues.

Durham's new baseball stadium (built right downtown) is based on Baltimore's model of Camden Yards. The Bulls, (Durham's minor league team), named in honor of Bull Durham Tobacco, draw 10,000 people downtown for an average game. Durham has had its own baseball team since 1926. Durham Americans (Coastal Plain League) are part of the renowned Collegiate league.