Welcome To Durham SAFeDATA

Durham is the core of the four county Durham, NC MSA, which has a populus of 451,212 as of July 1, 2004. The US Office of Management and Budget also defines Durham as a part of the Raleigh-Durham-Cary Combined Statistical Area, which has a populus of 1,565,223 as of July 1, 2006.

Durham originated in 1853 with the search for a suitable railroad depot for the North Carolina Railroad between Raleigh and Hillsborough. The wood-burning steam locomotives of the time had to stop frequently to refuel, and depots supplying wood and water could not be more than 25-30 miles apart. An earlier post office known as Herndon`s existed in the area from 1827, and another at nearby Prattsburg was established in 1836. The landowners at Prattsburg refused to sell land to the railroad. Somewhat further to the Nwest, a country physician named Bartlett S. Durham stayed and practiced along the route. He donated land to the railroad, which named the subsequent depot Durham Station. Prior to the arrival of the railroad, the area now known as Durham was almost entirely agricultural, with a few businesses catering to travelers (particularly livestock drivers) along the Hillsborough Road. This road, eventually followed by US Route 70, was the major east-west route in North Carolina from colonial times until the construction of interstate highways.

Durham is located at 35°59`19?N, 78°54`26?W (35.988644, -78.907167).

According to the US Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 94.9 sq miles (245.8 km²), of which, 94.6 sq miles (245.1 km²) of it is land and 0.3 sq miles (0.7 km²) of it (0.29%) is water.

There were 74,981 households, out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were married couples living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.9% were non-families. 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The avg household size was 2.37, and the avg family size was 3.01.

In the city the populus was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.