CommunityLink

Durham, NC

Awards & Accolades

Durham is a great place to live, work and own a business. The awards and accolades keep pouring in for this beautiful area. Each year, awards for all aspects of living and working in the greater Durham area are given by a variety of sources. The word is out — Durham has it all and is a terrific place to call home!

Education
Duke University receives many awards each year. In U.S. News and World Report’s January 2005 “America’s Best Colleges” rankings, Duke placed fifth as a top national university and eighth among the best-value universities in America. Duke also has the highest graduation
rate — just over 91 percent — among North Carolina’s four-year institutions, according to a 2005 report by the Education Trust. In 2004, Duke was named among the top five “dream” college choices in the country by the Princeton Review Survey. The university’s business school is among the top 20 in the country. It has been ranked 21st in technological strength in terms of both the number of patents and their relevance by Technology Review Magazine, and third in “best academics overall” by The Princeton Review. These are just a sampling of the national awards and accolades bestowed on Duke University each year.

In 2005, North Carolina Central University (NCCU) ranked first among North Carolina’s historically black colleges and third among all North Carolina schools in recruiting National Achievement Scholars. Nationwide, NCCU placed an impressive third in recruitment of National Achievement Scholars. Potential students are taking note of the quality education available at NCCU. In 2004, it had the third-fastest-growing student body among the 16 University of North Carolina system schools.

High scores are not given solely to the universities in Durham. The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and Durham Academy were both listed among the 65 high schools with the “highest success rate” in 2004 by the Wall Street Journal.

The area as a whole values a quality education. The Raleigh-Durham/Chapel Hill area was ranked 21st among the best places in the nation for education by Outlook magazine in 2004. The nation is taking notice of the strong educational opportunities available in Durham, and the accolades just keep coming.

Health Care
The health care industry also receives many awards each year. Duke University Medical Center has consistently been named one of the nation’s best hospitals, maintaining a sixth-place ranking for five straight years on the U.S. News and World Report list. It has also received a five-star (the highest) rating for coronary bypass surgery.

Durham Regional Hospital received the same five-star rating for excellence in women’s health from Health Grades Inc. Overall, the area is a great, healthy choice when looking for a place to live. Outlook Magazine ranked the Raleigh-Durham/Chapel Hill area as the second-healthiest place to live in America.

Business
Rated as one of the least stressful areas in the nation by Sperling’s Best Places in 2004, Durham is also known for its strong business sector.

Forbes magazine has ranked the Raleigh-Durham metro area as the second­-best place in the United States for business and careers. The magazine’s seventh annual ranking of “Best Places for Business and Careers” relies on Economy.com and Bertrand Sperling, a consultant in Portland, Oregon, to assist the magazine in assessing the factors considered in developing the rankings.

In 2005, Popular Science ranked Durham as the eighth-most high-tech area in the nation, and the area was an impressive fourth in the nation as a top place for high-tech companies to expand operations in Business Facilities Magazine.

In 2004, the Center for Women’s Business Research recognized the Research Triangle for its commitment to women-owned businesses by bestowing a fourth-place national ranking on the area for the growth rate of regional businesses that are 50 percent or more women-owned.

Recreation and Festivals
It isn’t all work in Durham, however. The fun side of life is also receiving national attention. The American Dance Festival was named one of the Southeast’s Top 20 Events held in April, May and June by the Southeast Tourism Society, and the Annual Native American Powwow was on the Top 20 list for January, February and March in 2005.

Catalytix Research/Carnegie Mellon ranked Durham number one on the Creativity Index among 274 similar-sized counties nationwide. Many other awards are given to Durham and the Raleigh-Durham/Chapel Hill region each year. The word is getting out that it is a great place to live, work, play and call home!