Durham recognized for creative and crafty downtown preservation

"Sell historic districts, but sell them well. Don’t try to compete with the suburbs head to head. You can’t. Economically disadvantaged historic areas will need to be creative and crafty. Think a little bit like Durham. Retailers have tremendously complicated needs.The healthiest historic communities are the ones that mix residential with a variety of retail, dry cleaners, hair salons, drug stores as well as chain stores and restaurants."

—"Preservation is a Journey and a Destination" Karen Gardner, The Frederick News Post

Durham recognized for addressing diversity problems in the start-up sector

"Of the companies to come out of American Underground in 2015, for instance, about 30 percent are led by women and 22 percent are led by minorities. That’s significantly higher than most (admittedly fuzzy and tech-focused) estimates elsewhere for either group, which put the share of female-led ventures below 20 percent and the share of minority led-ventures below 10 percent." 

— "Is a Different Kind of Silicon Valley Possible?" Gillian B. White, The Atlantic

Tobacco Road and Aloft recognized as part of Durham's transformation

"Located between the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) and the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Aloft Durham Downtown is at the heart of the American Tobacco Historic District, which launched a massive redevelopment and restoration project in 2004 to transform the iconic American Tobacco Company’s campus into a unique, mixed-use development complex with local and national corporations, restaurants and event venues."
 

—"Starwood Hotels’ leading-edge Aloft brand launches in Durham, North Carolina" Staff, Hotel Design

Billboard approves Moogfests move to Durham

"Moogfest is a platform for conversation and experimentation with innovative programming that perfectly mirrors Durham’s momentum as a capital of technology, culture and entertainment,"

—"Moogfest Announces Move to Durham, Sets Date for 2016 Return,"  Marc Schneider, Billboard

USA Today - Proposed Downtown Durham Hotel

"The artsy 21c Museum Hotels group is moving closer to building another luxury boutique hotel combined with a contemporary arts museum - this time in Durham, N.C...The first 21c location opened in 2006 to much acclaim in Louisville. Now, more are on the way. The Durham hotel, which would include a contemporary art museum, restaurant and bar - would open in 2015 if all goes as planned."

- Durham, N.C., to get artsy, luxury 21c Museum Hotel, USA Today

Southern Living - Downtown Durham / Central Park

"Downtown Durham is fertile ground for homegrown epicurean businesses. Their ace in the hole: a bounty of empty tobacco warehouses waiting for conversion to artisanal bakeries and microbreweries."

- South's Best Neighborhoods: Downtown-Central Park, Durham, Southern Living

Small Market Meetings - Entertainment Options in Durham, NC

"Tobacco warehouses and textile mills have become entertainment options in Durham, home of Duke University. In the past decade, this city of 235,000 has revitalized its downtown by restoring historic buildings and creating entertainment districts filled with baseball stadiums, breweries and ballet."

- Southeast: That's Entertainment, Small Market Meetings

AARP - Durham, NC

"This one-time Tobacco Road warehouse town has plenty of genteel charm, but its farm-to-table restaurant renaissance and cutting-edge cultural offerings make it quite worldly. The beneficiary of tobacco barons, Durham is where Wall Street hedge-funders retire early to grow heirloom vegetables on riverside farms. It’s also home to prestigious Duke University and the nearby Research Triangle, which give it a kinetic energy. Throw in the sun-dappled North Carolina climate, perfumed by honeysuckle and pine, and you have a winning U.S. destination. Stroll Duke’s neo-Gothic campus and admire the Sarah P. Duke Gardens. Cheer on the Durham Bulls, the minor league baseball team featured in the 1988 movie Bull Durham. Downtown, eateries in former tobacco warehouses serve Southern classics with contemporary twists. Try shrimp and grits at Watts Grocery or southern French cuisine at Vin Rouge. The Magnolia Grill and Nana’s also put Durham on the culinary map."

- Great U.S. Destinations for 2012, AAPR

The Herald - American Tobacco District

"More than 50 Rock Hill officials... visited Durham Wednesday to take notes. They're hoping to get some ideas about how to transform the former Rock Hill Printing and Finishing Co., known as the "Bleachery," from a pile of dirt and old buildings into what the American Tobacco District has become - a success story with a hefty economic impact."

- 50 Rock Hill Leaders tour Durham for growth ideas, The Herald

The Florida Info Guide - Downtown Durham

"There's always a lot going on in Durham. In a half mile radius of downtown, you have 25 locally owned restaurants that you cannot find any where else on the planet."

- Durham, North Carolina, The Florida Info Guide

The New York Times - Durham an Unexpected Food Hub

"In the last few years, downtown [Durham] has been transformed — a ghost town no longer — and an exciting, unexpected food hub has emerged."

- Durham Dining: Pies, Panini and Barbeque, The New York Times