Ranked one of the most vibrant midsized arts communities in the country, Durham is a creative community filled with acclaimed artists and stellar venues for national touring acts. Durham is home to DPAC, the Durham Performing Arts Center, as well as the historic Carolina Theatre, the African American Dance Ensemble, Duke Performances, American Dance Festival, the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke, and many others.

In 1898, John Merrick founded North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, the largest and oldest African American-owned life insurance company in the nation. M&F Bank became one of the nation’s strongest African American owned and managed banks. So many other businesses joined the Durham’s Parrish Street that the area became famous as “Black Wall Street.”

Shared prosperity is the central goal of the City of Durham’s strategic plan, promoting an environment in which human and workforce development and business growth encourage an inclusive economy. Initiatives will help create an inclusive environment, build a talented, competitive workforce, and continue to grow civic infrastructure.

Duke University is one of the most prestigious universities in the country, consistently included near the top of college rankings. North Carolina Central University is a top-ranking historically black university and the oldest publicly-funded liberal arts college founded for African-Americans in the U.S.

Once home to the largest tobacco company in the world, the iconic American Tobacco Campus has found new life today. The American Underground, one of 12 Google for Entrepreneurs tech hubs in North America, launched in ATC in 2010 and has since been named the “Startup Capital of the South” by CNBC.