Durham, North Carolina

Durham is located in central North Carolina and, with Duke University, is one of the vertices (the other two being North Carolina State University in Raleigh and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) that define the Research Triangle of North Carolina.

With more than 300 medical and health-related companies, Durham is known as the City of Medicine and is home to Duke University Medical Center, five major hospitals, and several cutting-edge pharmaceutical companies. As Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill's major research-and-development center, Research Triangle Park boasts the presence of companies such as IBM, Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline, and Underwriters Laboratories.

Ironically, in the 19th century, tobacco manufacturing was the major industry in North Carolina and that's how Durham achieved its other nickname – Bull City. It's thought that one of the original tobacco makers John Ruffin Green, capitalizing on the popularity of the logo for the English brand Colman's Mustard (he mistakenly thought it originated in Durham, England), used a bull on his tobacco packaging. Green was bought out by W.T. Blackwell, but the logo was maintained, and, as advertising for the brand spread throughout the United States (and the world), Durham rapidly became known as Bull City. In a similar fashion, Blackwell's advertisements behind the players' box at Yankee Stadium penned the term "bullpen."

Another early tobacco magnate was also responsible for shaping Durham's history: Trinity College was funded largely by Washington Duke, and his son James Buchanan Duke, who made a major donation to the school in 1924 and renamed it in honor of his father, was the creator of Duke University.

But Durham has more to offer than an interesting history. While maintaining four distinct seasons, Durham has a year-round moderate climate (with an average temperature of 59F/15C). The city is located approximately three hours from the coast, is 23 miles (37 kilometers) south of the Virginia border, and is surrounded by picturesque farmland. Durham has a population of 187,035, a range of different neighborhoods to suit all tastes, and is in close proximity to Raleigh, Chapel Hill, and Cary. Interesting places to visit in the area include the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science (and its permanent exhibit Magic Wings Butterfly House), Ninth Street (which is full of interesting offbeat shops), and the Eno River State Park.

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