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<p>I disagree. I work in Durham near Duke’s campus, and you DEFINITELY get the bad haha</p>
<p>That said, Penn isn’t exactly located in the best part of Philly either.</p>
<p>uh-oh, is durham really that bad? with crime rates and all that. do duke students actually end up going out to durham all that often?</p>
<p>Durham is pretty terrible. Duke does have a lot of security on and off-campus, though. Still, I wouldn’t recommend venturing out into the town by yourself or anything.</p>
<p>Heck, there’s even a documentary out there that tells you everything you need to know about gang violence in Durham-</p>
<p><a href=“People Search - Find People Fast and Free | Radaris”>People Search - Find People Fast and Free | Radaris;
<p>Duke is a great school, but Durham is pretty bad.</p>
<p>I watched that video - could it be any more staged???</p>
<p>Please, Cuse, spare us the hyperbole. There is crime in Durham, just like in any other city its size. But don’t blow it out of proportion.</p>
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If it’s so bad, why do you work there?</p>
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<p>I’m not blowing it out of proportion, believe me. Durham is one of the armpits of North Carolina. Most locals will tell you as much. Raleigh is larger and much nicer, as is Charlotte. Durham is just…hood. </p>
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<p>Because they hired me. Beggars can’t be choosers when the unemployment rate is above 10%.</p>
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I did my undergrad in Durham and am getting my MA in the supposedly even more ghetto Memphis. </p>
<p>I’ve yet to be mugged, robbed, or pistol whipped, despite venturing around campus at various odd hours of the morning/evening and yes, taking advantage of some of the sights and attractions each has to offer.</p>
<p>Also, as someone who grew up in Charlotte, I would take Durham any day. I absolutely despise Charlotte.</p>
<p>That said, I agree with midmo that the original post practically screams Vandy.</p>
<p>Instead of just opinions, let’s look at some actual statistics (from cityrating.com)</p>
<p>Nashville (per capita):
Murder 1.74 x national average (NA)
Rape 1.66 x NA
Robbery 1.81 x NA
Assault 2.85 x NA
All violent crime 2.51 x NA
All property crime 1.58 xNA</p>
<p>Durham (per capita):
Murder 1.45 xNA
Rape 1.06 xNA
Robbery 2.04 xNA
Assault 0.95 XNA
All violent crime 1.41 xNA
Al property crime 1.56 xNA</p>
<p>So, Durham’s stats are actually slightly better than Nashville’s. Are there bad parts of Durham? You bet. But I have lived in much more dangerous cities. I spent a few years in a large industrial city in the Midwest, where I heard gunshots outside my window frequently. Durham is not like that in my experience.
Members of my family and I have spent a cumulative 40+ years in Durham, and never had any problems. I</p>
<p>Interesting. I guess it depends what websites you look at:</p>
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<p>Facts and figures at:[Durham</a> Profile | Durham NC | Population, Crime, Map](<a href=“http://www.idcide.com/citydata/nc/durham.htm]Durham”>Durham Profile | Durham NC | Population, Crime, Map)</p>
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<p>Wow-that’s actually the first time I’ve ever heard that. But, I guess there are people who would prefer Detroit over Ann Arbor as well.</p>
<p>okay well durham seems a bit scary haha but i don’t really think it should be too bad since, whenever i do venture out, it’ll be with a group of people.</p>
<p>i’m most likely going to the vandy open house this saturday and then duke’s blue devil days sunday/monday and hopefully a penn preview day if i can afford it so hopefully that will help me make my decision. i’m so torn though! it’s all i’ve been thinking about…</p>
<p>hey i’d love to help with your college selection!</p>
<p>duke > penn. that is all.</p>
<p>dukelover87, i’m going to need to see some statistics and rankings to back that statement up. </p>
<p>just kiddingggg, you can argue your point of view in 5th period tomorrow.</p>
<p>Haha OP, just to give you some background, Cuse0507 is from UNC. So obviously take what he has to say about Duke and Durham with a grain of salt…</p>
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<p>As I said before, I go to UNC but work in Durham. I like Duke as a school and am friendly with many Duke students. The only thing that I don’t like about Duke is its basketball team-because I go to UNC.</p>
<p>That said, even the Duke students that I’ve talked to share a similar opinion of Durham. Most NC locals consider Durham to be one of the sketchiest cities in the state.</p>
<p>if vandys your dream school, GO THERE</p>
<p>Duke or Vanderbilt. You can’t go wrong with any of them… you know more what to do than anyone on here, just chill, trust yourself, you’ll pick the right one.</p>
<p>thanks for your input everyone!</p>
<p>i ended up choosing duke :)</p>
<p>congrats on your decision!</p>
<p>personally, I would’ve picked Vanderbilt but Duke is a great school! Just have fun losing to Clemson every year :)</p>
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<p>Agreed. I’m sure you’ll have a great time at Duke, except for whenever you play UNC in football or basketball, in which case your day will be miserable. :)</p>
<p>^I don’t see UNC beating Duke in basketball anytime in the near future.;)</p>
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<p>If by “near future” you mean May-January, I agree with you. After that, I’d beg to differ. One bad season won’t be enough to break what has become a habit. :p</p>