Durham County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the U.S. state of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 324,833, making it the sixth-most populous county in North Carolina. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

, which is the only

incorporated municipality A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally ...

predominantly in the county, though very small portions of cities and towns mostly in neighboring counties also extend into Durham County. The central and southern parts of Durham County are highly urban, consisting of the city as well as several unincorporated suburbs. Southeastern Durham County is dominated by the

Research Triangle Park Research Triangle Park (RTP) is the largest research park in the United States, occupying in North Carolina and hosting more than 300 companies and 65,000 workers. The facility is named for its location relative to the three surrounding cities ...

, most of which is in Durham County. The northern third of Durham County is rural in nature. Durham County is the core of the Durham-

Chapel Hill Chapel Hill or Chapelhill may refer to: Places Antarctica * Chapel Hill (Antarctica) Australia *Chapel Hill, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane *Chapel Hill, South Australia, in the Mount Barker council area Canada *Chapel Hill, Ottawa, a neighbou ...

, NC

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

, which is also included in the

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

-Durham- Cary, NC

Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and ...

, which had a population of 2,106,463 in 2020.

History

The county was formed on April 17, 1881, from parts of Orange County and Wake County, taking the name of its own county seat. In 1911, parts of Cedar Fork Township of Wake County were transferred to Durham County and became Carr Township.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (4.0%) is water.

State and local protected areas/sites

* Bennett Place * Duke Homestead and Tobacco Factory * East Durham Historic District * Eno River State Park (part) * Falls Lake State Recreation Area (part) * Historic Stagville * Hollow Rock Nature Park (part) * Horton Grove Nature Preserve * Little River Regional Park and Natural Area (part) * Mason Farm Biological Reserve (part) * Rolling View State Recreation Area (part)

Major water bodies

* Crabtree Creek (Neuse River tributary) * Ellerbe Creek * Eno River * Falls Lake * Flat River * Jordan Lake * Lake Michie *

Little River (Eno River tributary) Little River is a long tributary to the Eno River in Durham County, North Carolina. Little River along with the Flat River are the major tributaries to the Eno River before it enters Falls Lake. Both the North Fork of Little River and the Sou ...

New Hope Creek New Hope Creek is a watercourse that rises in rural Orange County, North Carolina, in the United States. It drains the western portion of Orange County and the southern half of Durham County and flows into the northern end of Jordan Lake reservo ...

Stirrup Iron Creek Stirrup Iron Creek is a tributary to Crabtree Creek that rises near Brassfield, North Carolina and then flows south-southeast into Lake Crabtree. The watershed is about 31% forested. See also *List of rivers of North Carolina This is a list o ...

Adjacent counties

Person County Person County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 39,097 as of the 2020 census. The county seat is Roxboro. Person County is included in the Durham- Chapel Hill Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is ...

- north * Granville County - northeast * Wake County - east-southeast * Chatham County - south * Orange County - west

Major highways

* * * * * * * * (Durham) * (To Orange County) * * * * * * * * ( Truck Route)

Major infrastructure

* Durham Station

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, there were 324,833 people, 131,140 households, and 75,291 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 223,314 people, 89,015 households, and 54,032 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 769 people per square mile (297/km²). There were 95,452 housing units at an average density of 329 per square mile (127/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 50.91%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 39.46%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.30% Native American, 3.29% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 4.21% from other races, and 1.80% from two or more races. 7.63% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. There were 89,015 households, out of which 29.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.00% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 14.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.30% were non-families. 30.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.99. In the county, the age distribution was as follows: 22.90% under the age of 18, 12.80% from 18 to 24, 34.80% from 25 to 44, 19.80% from 45 to 64, and 9.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 93.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $43,337, and the median income for a family was $53,223. Males had a median income of $35,939 versus $30,683 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $23,156. About 9.80% of families and 13.40% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 17.20% of those under age 18 and 12.30% of those age 65 or over.

Law and government

Durham County is a member of the regional Triangle J Council of Governments. Durham County is governed by a five-member board of county commissioners, currently consisting of Chair Brenda A. Howerton, Vice Chair Wendy Jacobs, Nimasheena Burns, Heidi Carter, and

Nida Allam Nida Allam (born December 15, 1993) is an American politician, political activist, and data analyst. She currently serves on the Durham County Board of Commissioners, to which she was elected in 2020, making her the first Muslim woman to serve i ...

. All are elected concurrently, and each elected member serves a four-year term. The current

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

, Clarence Birkhead, was elected in 2018 and is the County's first African American Sheriff to hold office.

Politics

Durham County is consistently one of the most Democratic counties in North Carolina, having only voted for the Republican candidate twice since 1884, the Republican landslides of 1928 and 1972. George H. W. Bush is the last Republican to manage even 40 percent of the county's vote. Since the 1990s, Durham County has been one of the most Democratic urban counties in the South.

Communities

Map of Durham County North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels

The city of Durham is the only incorporated municipality to predominantly exist within Durham County, and the only one whose urban core lies within the county, though small portions of municipalities from neighboring counties extend into Durham County, and the city of Durham also itself extends slightly into neighboring counties. All other towns and places within Durham County are unincorporated communities.

Cities

(county seat and largest city, Small portions extend into Wake and Orange counties) *

(small part, mostly in Wake County)Raleigh Durham Annexation Agreement Lines

Towns

(small part, mostly in Orange County) * Morrisville (small part, mostly in Wake County)

Townships

* Carr *

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

* Mangum * Oak Grove *

Triangle A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non- colline ...

Census-designated places

* Gorman * Rougemont (small portions extend into neighboring

)

Unincorporated communities

* Bahama * Bethesda * Genlee * Lowe's Grove * Nelson * Oak Grove *

Braggtown ''Braggtown'' is an album released by The Branford Marsalis Quartet in 2006. The album, following the 2004 Grammy-nominated ''Eternal'', draws upon a world of inspirations, including John Coltrane, a 17th-century English composer, an American I ...

Notable people

* Margaret O'Neal (1884-?), sharecropper

References

External links

Durham County Government official website

Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau

Durham County Library website

Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce

North Carolina Room of the Durham County Library
Website for an archive which collects materials concerning the city and county of Durham {{authority control 1881 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1881 Majority-minority counties in North Carolina