The flower that holds the bull

The city of Durham. North Carolina has a very rich and engaging history. Its strengths lie within the energy and excitement of its residents and those who call it home. The Research Triangle Park, a premier research area was developed out this resilience and commitment.

If you visit the city of Durham, North Carolina, you will be sure to return again or better yet, relocate. Durham is full of diverse cultures and people of all walks of life from within the United States of America and the globe. It is rich in history, traditions, education, industry, innovation, and activism. And these characteristics are reflected in the personalities of those who call it home.

Durham has always had a diverse citizenry since it became a city in 1881. The city got its name from Dr. Bartlett Durham who donated four acres of land to build a railroad depot in 1849. This depot improved the city’s profitability, as a center for trade and transportation among neighboring towns. And people migrated from south of the Piedmont to Durham as economic opportunities increased the city’s attractiveness for growth.

The fusion of people that will make up the fabric of Durham’s earlier population is made up of Native Americans, Europeans, and African Americans. Native Americans have been an important part of shaping what Durham has become today. The Great Indian Trading Path that travels through Durham was the location of industrious indigenous communities that took pride in the land they cultivated and coexisted peacefully.

The early white population was made up of the descendants of Irish, Scottish, and English colonists that settled in the area that is now known as the Carolinas. The explorer John Lawson once described the area now known to be Durham as the “flower of the Carolinas” in a description that inspired European migration to the Carolinas. A flower which we know possesses the qualities to sustain and enrich the lives of the community it beautifies. The industrialist Julian Carr was responsible for the moniker “Bull City” through the expansive sale of the Bull Durham Tobacco across America. This was a period were tobacco was a core commodity in America.

Durham’s African American community contributed to the economic, educational, political, and religious vibrancy of Durham county in the early 1900s. The North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company the largest and oldest African American owned life insurance company was created by John Merrick in 1898 in Durham. The Mechanic and Farmers Bank, one of America’s strongest African American owned and managed banks was created in Durham. North Carolina Central University was established in Durham in 1910. These businesses and educational institution played a vital role in the economic and political vibrancy of the African American community in Durham.

While Durham experienced periods of growth, it also had some setbacks in the mid-1990s. Durham was no longer as vibrant as it once was, and communities that once thrived suffered from the lack of income to grow. The Research Triangle Park (RTP) was created in Durham in 1959, to resuscitate the Durham economy and reaffirm North Carolina’s relevance to America’s growth.

Since its creation, the RTP has led to the development of research agencies, which enhanced the educational qualities of local universities and attracted thousands of jobs to Durham. Since then, a 500 acres area for research and development has evolved into a 7000 acres area that spurs innovation and growth across America and the world. The flower that holds the bull has blossomed into a community of innovative, fun-loving people.