Durham A Top Choice of Where to Retire Magazine

When vying for consideration as a place to retire, destinations need to have a mix of engaging offerings, as well as practical services and infrastructure.  When looked at through such a lens, Durham shows a whole lot of promise as a great place for people to start this chapter of their lives. 

Its arts and cultural offerings, restaurants, continuing education, and strong community coupled with the excellence in medical care have made Durham a a highly celebrated retirement destination for years. "People choose where to retire quite deliberately.  Durham is the sort of place where those who want to be a part of it are welcomed - and that's enticing," said Sam Poley, Director of Public Relations for the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau when referring to how easily people join the Durham community.

Where to Retire, the only magazine in America geared toward helping people with retirement relocation decisions, apparently feels the same way. Durham is one of eight cities profiled in the “8 Havens for College Hoops” feature in the March/April issue, available nationwide on Feb. 18, 2014. "True, we also have outstanding college basketball in Durham, too," said Poley referring to the Duke Blue Devils who have a laundry list of top ranks to their credit.

Annette Fuller, the editor of Where to Retire, said these eight cities, including Durham, appeal to retirees who enjoy college sports as well as the many other amenities that come with living in a college town. “Basketball reigns supreme in Durham, where the students and the community rally behind their beloved Duke University Blue Devils. But beyond the basketball madness is a youthful city, rich with outdoor adventure, cultural events, excellent restaurants and continuing-education opportunities,” Fuller said.

Durham is no stranger to recognition as a great place to retire. It is regularly noted as the best place in the US to retire.  See all those rankings on the Durham Accolades website.

Durham Ranks Fourth Best Place to Live and Visit

The continued attention paid to Durham is flattering - especially when Durham is ranked #4 on the list of the Top 100 Places in the US to live and visit by Livability.com. The national website ranks quality-of-life amenities in America’s small and mid-sized cities. Durham ranked most highly for health care and amenities.

"The things that make Durham rank high in quality of life indices are some of the same things that make Durham a great place to visit," said Shelly Green, President and CEO of the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau, the organization that markets Durham. "Things like great dining, shopping, arts and cultural opportunities, as well as abundant natural recreation areas, raise the experience bar for everyone," Green added. 

In 2012 Durham welcomed 9 million visitors who took advantage of these things and many others.  

According to the website, the data collected for the ranking were weighted based on an exclusive survey conducted for Livability by Ipsos Public Affairs, a leading global market research firm. Respondents were asked about factors that make their communities better places to live, as well as the factors they would consider in selecting another city. Those factors were narrowed down to eight categories – economics, housing, amenities, infrastructure, demographics, social and civic capital, education and healthcare – that were then used to determine each city’s LivScore. See the entire list on their website.

To produce its inaugural list of Top 100 Best Places to Live and Visit, Livability.com partnered with Richard Florida’s Martin Prosperity Institute, the world's leading think tank on the role of location, place, and city-regions in global economic prosperity. A months-long study of more than 1,700 U.S. cities and the factors that make them the best places to live, work and play was conducted. Florida also ranked Durham as having the highest percentage of creative-class jobs in the US.

See all the ways Durham is ranked highly online.

Duke Moves Up to Tie For 7th In Latest U.S. News Rankings

Durham's own Duke University rose to a tie for seventh place in the latest annual rankings by U.S. News & World Report magazine of national universities that offer doctoral degrees.

Last year, Duke shared the No. 8 spot. It was ranked 10th in 2011. This year, Duke is in a tie for seventh with the University of Pennsylvania and MIT.

In its latest rankings, U.S. News also placed Duke in a tie for seventh among national universities that have a strong commitment to teaching.

The magazine singled out Duke in four categories in "Programs to Look For," which it described as enriched offerings that provide undergraduates with the best possible experience. Duke was cited for service learning, senior capstone, undergraduate research/creative projects and writing in the disciplines.

Duke's undergraduate engineering program was ranked in a tie for 19th among doctoral universities -– up one spot from a year ago -- and the Pratt School’s biomedical/biomedical engineering program placed second in the rankings.

In the latest survey, U.S. News ranked Duke at No. 12 in a category called "Great Schools at Great Prices," for which the magazine compares a school's academic quality with the net cost of attendance for a student who receives the average level of need-based financial aid.

Duke also was among four schools tied for 17th in the category "economic diversity," which the magazine said gauges “institutions’ relative commitment to access for all.” Duke was among seven national universities tied for 12th in a survey of high school guidance counselors.

Additional information about the U.S. News & World Report rankings is available online.

Learn more about why Durham, NC is a place where great things happen.

Durham Named One Of “South’s Smartest Medical Cities For Groups”

Today Durham was announced as tops in yet another category - it was selected as one of nine cities on ConventionSouth magazine’s 2013 Editors’ Hot Picks For “South’s Smartest Medical Cities For Groups." While not exactly a mainstream interest area, the ranking is important because it shows the breadth and scope of the ways that Durham excels against national and regional competitor destinations.

"We're both pleased and excited by this recognition," said Shelly Green, the President and CEO of the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau (DCVB), the organization responsible for marketing Durham as a place to live, work, and do business. "Accolades like this help us complete the picture for people outside our market.  Lots of people know about our food scene, great universities and sports, and so much more.  Now we have another way to show that Durham is more multi-faceted than people may have previously thought," Green added.

Corey Bizzell, DCVB's Vice President of Group Sales and Business Development, also expressed his excitement about this announcement, "Medical meetings are important to Durham.  I like that lists like this continue to help people be more familiar with Durham, and all the ways it excels as a place to meet." Bizzell has been selling Durham for more than 10 years, and has seen the destination's stock in trade rise steadily in that time. "Fewer meeting professionals are surprised when they experience Durham in person than in years past.  It's an exciting time to be bringing people here," he added.

ConventionSouth, the national multimedia resource for planning events that are held within the South, has selected Durham for their 2013 Editors’ Hot Picks for the “South’s Smartest Medical Cities for Groups.” After an in-depth review of nearly 30 cities in the South that are known for their healthcare infrastructure, the editors of ConventionSouth deem Durham to be one of the most ideal cities for hosting healthcare-focused groups and meetings.

“It is a great honor to recognize Durham as one of the South’s top cities for hosting medical, pharmaceutical and other healthcare meetings and events,” said ConventionSouth Associate Publisher Marlane Bundock.  “Durham is home to several nationally recognized medical facilities such as Duke University Hospital & Medical Center and a physician-to-population ratio almost 4.5 times the national average. Durham’s reputation in the U.S. and global healthcare industry provides a valuable resource for medical and healthcare conferences, allowing the events to have access to some of the country’s most renowned hospitals,  healthcare institutions and experts.”

A complete list of ConventionSouth’s 2013 Editors’ Hot Picks for the “South’s Smartest Medical Cities for Groups” can be found online.

Learn more about meetings in Durham, NC here.

DPAC Tops with Travelers, Again

DPAC, Durham Performing Arts Center  in Durham, NC was honored today with an award it has won before, the Certificate of Excellence from travel website TripAdvisor.

Given that Trip Advisor has more than 50,000,000 worldwide visitors per month and is the world's largest travel website and online travel guide, winning this certificate is a significant achievement. This prestigious award puts DPAC in the top 10% of all businesses and organizations worldwide listed on the site.

The center's fifth season featured over 185 performances with attendance expected to total 350,000 guests by the time the season draws to a close next month. General Manager Bob Klaus said "Of the many accolades DPAC has received since opening, this is the one of which we are the most proud. We love hearing from our guests, and TripAdvisor is one of the very best national forums for visitors to weigh in on their experiences. "

"Service has always been a major focus at DPAC, and it shows in the experience that both residents and visitors alike share when they attend an event.  The staff are committed to exceeding their guests' expectations in every way possible," said Shelly Green, President and CEO of the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Since its opening in 2008, DPAC, the Durham Performing Arts Center, has become the center for live entertainment in the Triangle. Recognized for its contemporary design, DPAC features 2,700 seats, intimate sightlines and state-of-the art sound and video. Listed four times in the top 10 in Pollstar magazine’s annual worldwide theater attendance rankings, DPAC is currently the #5 ranked theater in the U.S.

Read the story about DPAC winning this award last year here and learn more about the arts in Durham here.  Season tickets are on sale now for the 2013-14 season which includes the blockbuster, The Book of Mormon.

Southern Living Names Durham One of the "Tastiest Towns in the South" in 2013

Southern Living has named Durham, NC one of the “Tastiest Towns in the South” in its February issue, on newsstands January 18th.  Which town is the tastiest?  That's up to readers and fans.

Scan or click to Vote
Durham Tastiest!

To celebrate the many flavors and rich, diverse stories behind today’s Southern cuisine, Southern Living editors convened in its Birmingham-based Test Kitchen to identify the most compelling food destinations across the region. Durham made the cut, and now it's up to restaurants to rally their fans and customers to get out the vote.

"Durham's food scene is on par with the best in the nation. Chefs here have integrity, appreciation for the ingredients, the sourcing, the producers, the preparations, and the customers.  In Durham, food is a culture that rises above most barriers, and all of Durham's diverse inhabitants come together over great food all the time," said Sam Poley with the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau, Durham's official marketing agency.  "Things like this are fun.  Folks in Durham are really proud of this place and the things that make it great.  We're hoping they, and the places they love, will work together so that everyone knows Durham is where great food happens."

Vote Here

“North Carolina’s Triangle has long been fertile ground for enjoying the region’s rich bounty,” writes Southern Living Senior Editor Paula Disbrowe. “From Scratch Bakery to Watts Grocery, where much of the menu is raised, caught, smoked, pickled or cured within a two-hour radius, Durham is brimming with spots that passionately support local businesses,” adds Disbrowe.

Readers will decide the winner by casting votes for the “Tastiest Town in the South” from January 10 to February 28 on southernliving.com/tasty or via smartphone by downloading the complimentary Digimarc Discover app and scanning the corresponding image in the magazine. Each daily vote allows a consumer to be entered for a chance to win $1,500 toward a trip to the Tasty Town of his or her choice.

“Southern cooking has become one of the country's hottest culinary obsessions,” says Southern Living Editor-in-Chief Lindsay Bierman. “But there's a lot more to it than pork belly and grits. Every day, we're discovering hyperlocal microcosms of food culture across our region."  Durham has exemplified that description for decades.

Southern Living will profile each of the towns and reveal the “Tastiest Town in the South” in the May issue, on newsstands April 19th and online.

Southern Living editors identified the top 10 “Tastiest Towns in the South” based on the following criteria:

• Food as a cultural identity: The unique food or ethnicity that defines a particular Southern region
• Growth of a culinary-minded community: The influence that the culinary industry has on the local community and tourism
• Diverse cuisine at a variety of price points: Accessibility to hearty, flavorful meals at any budget
• Local, sustainable food practices: The focus on sourcing products from local purveyors to geographically define where each meal comes from
• Hot chefs on the rise: The influence of the area’s culinary talent in the media and pop culture
• Abundance of buzz-worthy food events: The number of festivals in the area that celebrate all things food and drink

For the full list of towns, visit: southernliving.com/tasty. Rally around your favorite tasty destination and vote online from January 10-February 28.

One vote per day is counted toward the finally tally.  Learn more about Durham online.

Durham #1 for Large-Sized Fourth Economy Communities in 2013

Durham residents know that their county is a hotbed of economic activity and is poised for growth in all the right ways, but it's always nice to be recognized.

Durham was recently recognized for being #1 in the nation by the Fourth Economy Community Index's top 10 large-sized Fourth Economy Communities. The recognized communities are ideally positioned to attract modern investment and managed economic growth.

The “fourth economy” characterizes the most recent phase of our nation’s economy, reflecting a combination of the previous three to include agrarian, industrial, and technological. This new index is intended to serve as a dashboard for community stakeholders to gauge their capacity to attract and retain modern investment.

“There has never been a more important time for economic and community developers to rethink how we measure economic success,” said Rich Overmoyer, CEO of Fourth Economy Consulting, the economic development firm that created the index in 2011.  “As a country, it is critical that we position our communities to take advantage of the long term economic prosperity and impact that both the public and private sectors can have on their respective economies.  This index begins to point to the data and assets that help to influence and monitor progress toward that goal,” Overmoyer added.

Fourth had this to say about Durham:

"Leading the large county index is highly popular Durham County, North Carolina, home to Duke University, a historic downtown center, and a booming technological prowess, all with an unmistakable Southern charm.

Durham County has been long ahead of the game when it comes to research and development, capitalizing upon its wealth of academic resources and potential for discovery. Home to one of the nation’s most competitive universities and major technology playground, Research Triangle Park, companies such as IBM, Cisco, NetApp, and their research teams have taken root in the area, creating a demand for manufacturing expertise and a technology industry that supports that growth.

The city mobilized its efforts in attracting entrepreneurs by creating a built environment that facilitates investment, bringing a newfound vitality to downtown Durham. Focusing upon Durham’s potential as a prime start-up environment, the city invested in marketing to the businesses, offering services like Smoffice and The Bull City Startups. These tactics have been incredibly successful, bringing eighty start-ups in three years and creating 600 jobs.

“We do entrepreneurial activity much better than most. Our secret sauce is—create the environment, invite them to try it, and get out of the way. We play in keeping the ecosystem vibrant and allow them to use it to grow organically,” says Casey Steinbacher of the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce. “We are an incredibly diverse and welcoming community that values diversity of people and thoughts so new ideas do well here”.

Durham County boasts a quality of life that many counties of its size envy. As the economy diversifies, focus swings to improvements for charter schools and more youth programs. As a result, those unconnected to business lead better lives as well, creating a well-rounded approach to fourth economy development."

About the Index:

The Fourth Economy Community Index (www.fourtheconomyindex.com  or  #FECIndex) categorizes counties based on their Census 2010 population.  Micro counties are those less than 25,000.  Small counties range from 25,000 to 49,999.  Mid-sized counties are 50,000 to 149,999.  The large counties are between 150,000 and 499,999.  The FEC Index then considers several county-level measures within five areas: 1) Investment, 2) Talent, 3) Sustainability, 4) Place, and 5) Diversity. These five areas serve as a foundation for future economic success.  Specific indicators include wage and employment growth, education levels, drive times, home values, minority business ownership, agricultural and manufacturing capacity and population density. The measures are then weighted based on the level of influence they have on both internal and external investment decisions.

For more information on economic growth in Durham, read more at the Durham News Service. For a current inventory of new developments happening in Durham, click here.

Duke University Hospital Number One in NC

Among Durham's many accolades is its stellar health care offerings.  There are five hospitals here, and key among them is the Duke University Hospital, the number one hospital in North Carolina and the number eight hospital in the nation, according to the US News and World Report.

Duke University Medical Center has once again been named by U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation's top 10 hospitals. Duke is #8 in this year's rankings, placing it among the nation's elite medical institutions, including Mass General, Johns Hopkins, the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic.

This is the first year the magazine ranked the top hospitals in each state, with Duke being named the #1 hospital in North Carolina. The hospital is again #1 in the Triangle. Perhaps more importantly, this year's national ranking marks the 23rd consecutive year that U.S. News & World Report has included Duke among the very best hospitals in the country.

"These rankings recognize the outstanding medical care provided by Duke physicians and health care teams on behalf of patients in our community, state and nation," said Victor J. Dzau, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Duke University Health System. "At a time of uncertainty in the nation's health care environment, Duke Medicine is committed to providing the best care to its patients."

The magazine assesses 16 medical specialties at each of the 5,000 hospitals in the U.S. that are evaluated. The combined assessments of the specialties at each hospital form the basis for the overall hospital ranking. Eight of those specialty areas at Duke made the top 10 in this year's list, while four others placed highly in their respective honor roles.

Among the magazine's 2012-2013 specialty rankings for Duke are:

• Pulmonology #5
• Cardiology & Heart Surgery #7
• Ophthalmology #7
• Geriatrics #8
• Urology, #7
• Gynecology #8
• Orthopedics #9
• Rheumatology #10
• Nephrology #13
• Cancer #13
• Neurology & Neurosurgery #14

Duke Children's Hospital and Health Center was one of 80 facilities that made the rankings in at least one of the 10 specialties analyzed for U.S. News & World Report's 2012-13 Best Children's Hospitals.

Duke Children's Hospital admits roughly 165 patients a day. Nursing excellence is a priority, illustrated by the hospital's status as a Nurse Magnet facility.

Among the Pediatric rankings were Neonatology #11; Cardiology & Heart Surgery #24; Cancer #27; Urology #27; Diabetes & Endocrinology #28; Orthopedics #28; Nephrology#32; Neurology & Neurosurgery #34;Gastroenterology #42; and Pulmonology #44.

The rankings come just one month after Duke University Hospital became the first hospital in North Carolina to achieve the highest level in the N.C. Awards for Excellence program that recognizes exemplary business practices. The Level 4 designation positions Duke to participate at the national level in the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, which assesses and designates model organizations for their leadership, strategic planning, customer service, workforce initiatives and other functions.

Durham is actively promoted as the place Where Great Things Happen, but it has also been known as the City of Medicine.  Health care is Durham's largest employment cluster. With health care like this, it's no wonder that medical tourism is a consideration in the marketing of Durham as a place.  "We often welcome through our Visitors Information Center those in town for treatment.  People come from around the world to see the specialists at Duke," said Sam Poley, the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau.

DPAC is Number One

Again, Durham, NC comes out tops on a list, this time in the form of its internationally recognized performing arts center.  DPAC - Durham Performing Arts Center was ranked by the industry publication Pollstar as being the second busiest theater in the world in their 2012 Midyear ranking of Worldwide Ticket Sales Top 100 Theatre Venues. 

That makes DPAC the busiest theater in the US, since the number one spot on the list is a theater in Mexico.  Durham's Carolina Theatre came in at 88th.

DPAC also recently won a top ranking from the consumer travel website, TripAdvisor - the theater now bears the site's Certificate of Excellence.  

This is a nice additional feather in Durham's cap.  Last week, Durham was ranked as the top market in the US for the creative class.

Well known as an open and accepting haven for those in, and those interested in, the arts, Durham is home to more than a dozen theaters which are well supported by the community and those who visit.  Learn more about Durham as a great place to visit by visiting on the web.

Durham is Tops in Creative Class

Durham, NC is a very innovative place filled with people doing work that is decidedly creative, most of it in ways many wouldn't automatically define as such on first glance. In fact, though some might be surprised by this, more than a third of the nation's workforce is considered to be in the creative class - and Durham has a high concentration of those businesses.

In a study authored by Richard Florida, a leading expert on the creative class, which was released on the website TheAtlanticCities.com, Durham's metro area came in the top spot with 48.4% of workers involved in creative class jobs.

According to the study, "professionals in the fields of science and technology, design and architecture, arts, entertainment and media, and healthcare, law, management and education" are all considered to be in the creative class.  As such, given Durham's employer landscape with two universities and being home to most of the Research Triangle Park, the number one spot on such a list makes a great deal of sense.

"Durham ranked number one in a similar creative class analysis before. That study looked at Durham as compared to 300+ similar markets," said DCVB President & CEO Shelly Green. "Durham has always ranked high for its creative class, but now it's number one when compared to the entire country.  Durhamites should be very proud of this latest recognition from such a well-respected source." Durham is regularly lauded as a top destination to live, work, and do business. Learn more about it here.

What Number One Means

Durham, NC is no stranger to the number one spot on rankings.  Again, on Monday, it was ranked as America's Most Tolerant City by Newsweek/The Daily Beast.  Number one is a nice spot to be on such a list, especially for a community that aggressively promotes its accepting and welcoming nature born of the community's diversity.  In short, everyone is welcome in Durham.

The ranking is certainly a nice accolade, but the public can benefit from some deeper understanding of the list before shouting from the roof tops.

First, rankings are ever more common in modern media for a several reasons. Media companies (yes, these are companies that need to make a profit like any other) are strapped, often more so than others, with thinning employment ranks due to shrinking revenue.  They, like everyone else, need to do more with less and deliver what the people want.  History provides myriad examples of people wanting to be, or know who is, number one.  In other words, rankings sell papers, magazines, and website hits and media often use them to achieve that goal to great effect.

Second, rankings are fairly easy to produce.  Without diminishing the value of this ranking--or any other--consider that these lists are usually more compiled than researched, and that they are not necessarily efforts journalistic in nature, but more so exercises in simple arithmetic.  They don't carry a lot of water in terms of scientific validity.  Additionally, these rankings are often based on criteria that can seem a bit arbitrary as they typically look at disparate and unrelated facts, and then draw conclusions therefrom.  Put another way, rankings like this aren't always an expression of a news organization's most arduous efforts.

Third, these rankings are rarely of cities.  The data they cite is often of a thing called a Metropolitan Statistical Area, or MSA.  The US Census Bureau creates MSAs based on populations in certain land areas.  For example, Durham is in the Durham-Chapel Hill MSA with Durham being the anchor of the four county area so named.  Those counties are Chatham, Durham, Orange and Person; not a city at all.  The Daily Beasts' study methodology states that the ranking "limited the cities under consideration to those with a population greater than 250,000 according to the U.S. Census Bureau." According to the US Census, the city of Durham has a population of 228,330.  This is a perfect example of improperly identifying an MSA as a city - a common error that is vexing to all, especially those in destination marketing.

Fourth, this ranking makes no mention of Durham's Latino population.  Residents from Central and South America make up, according to the US Census, 14.2% of the population in Durham. Perhaps not relative to the outcome, but worth noting as it relates to the overall value of the ranking.

If a destination is looking to hang its hat on a research study about a given aspect of their community, say tolerance or openness, then one with more scientific backbone is likely a better support.  Destination marketing thought-leader Reyn Bowman, President Emeritus of the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau in Durham, NC wrote about openness recently on his blog Bull City Mutterings.  Reading the associated studies he cites quickly demonstrates that to measure a community characteristic such as tolerance or openness is both difficult and time consuming.  It's not as simple as pulling three details from three separate sources and using those pieces of data to indicate a statistically valid outcome.  The studies cited to generate these numbers are all sound in their own right, but the tabulation of them collectively to produce rankings yields data that just don't hold a lot of water.

Nonetheless, Durham, NC is a tolerant place - and no ranking is necessary to define that.  People in Durham, and those who visit, already know: it is accepting, diverse and anyone who so desires to be is welcomed.  For those interested in all the rankings that Durham has received, visit the website www.durhamaccolades.com on which rankings are organized in a searchable database.

So yeah, kudos to Durham for the ranking.  Residents always appreciate recognition of the fact that Durham is a place like no other, and that it really is where great things happen.

Corporate and Foundation Support of DPAC Continues

Recognizing the Durham Performing Arts Center’s (DPAC) positive impact on Durham and the Triangle area, three corporations and two major foundations recently gave more than $80,000 in naming rights contributions and support to the nationally ranked theater. 

Merck & Co. Inc. is sponsoring the Technical Director’s Office, Burt’s Bees is supporting the Grand Tier West Concessions, and the F.M. Kirby Foundation is naming the General Manager’s Office. Additionally, the Biddle Foundation is providing funds for DPAC operational needs, and IBM has donated a computer server to improve DPAC’s technological capabilities.

DPAC continues to surpass attendance and revenue projections and was recently ranked the #3 performing arts venue in the nation based on ticket sales. “It is very rewarding to have the companies and foundations of this stature behind the Triangle’s premier arts venue,” said Mayor William V. “Bill” Bell. “It is a clear indicator of our achievements to date and validation of our vision for the future.”

The Durham Performing Arts Center is a state-of-the-art performance hall located in Downtown Durham at the American Tobacco Campus.  It has the largest stage and seating capacity of any theater in the Carolinas.  The DPAC, which opened in the fall of 2008, has hosted numerous Broadway plays, musicians, comedians, and the American Dance Festival.  The DPAC is owned by the City of Durham and is operated by a partnership of PFM and Nederlander. 

Durham Wins Big

Durham is fortunate to have many great features that excite, entice and satisfy visitors and residents alike...turns out that folks across the Research Triangle Region think so.


Image reprinted with permission of the Independent Weekly.

According to the Independent Weekly's Best of the Triangle 2011: Readers Choice Poll, Durham businesses, or those with locations in Durham, fared pretty well (read as: INCREDIBLY WELL).  In total, Durham businesses won 91 spots on the list out of 237 total; just about 40% - a strong showing of which Durham can be proud.

Durham fared well in the food arena - the food scene here is one of the country's most celebrated.  The New York Times cited the food in Durham as one of the reasons for naming Durham to a global list of the Top 41 Places to Visit in 2011.

Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau engages a similar ranking process annually and will lanuch their survey in late summer.  Lists like these are powerful visitor marketing tools because those looking to learn about a destination are interested in what those who live there think is the best, where they go and what they do for fun. 

Stay tuned for DCVB's Local Favorites survey in a few months.  For now, get out and show these Durham busiensses some love.

REPOST: Factoid

No Surprise – Duke is the Nation’s Favorite Men’s College Basketball Team

Regardless of your bracket...it looks like Duke wins - at least according to this poll:

Source: MarketingCharts.com and Harris Interactive Click to enlarge.

Bull City Mutterings

Factoid

Duke's Graduate and Professional Schools Highly Rated in Latest U.S. News Rankings

Duke University’s graduate and professional schools continue to rank among the top institutions in their disciplines, according to the latest rankings from U.S. News & World Report.

Duke’s medical school tied for fifth for research, up from a tie for sixth last year; the nursing school tied for seventh, its highest ranking ever; the law school remained 11th; and the Fuqua School of Business rose two places to 12th.

For the second consecutive year, the Pratt School of Engineering rose two places in the rankings, to end up in a tie for 31st.

Medical school deans and faculty selected the best medical specialty programs, and Duke was recognized in geriatrics (fourth), internal medicine (fourth), women’s health (fifth), AIDS (eighth) and family medicine (10th). It tied for 41st in primary care.

Under health disciplines, Duke’s physician assistant program was rated first. The School of Nursing’s pediatric nurse practitioner program was rated fifth, its adult nurse practitioner and gerontological nurse practitioner programs were each ranked 10th, and its nursing-anesthesia program was tied for 11th.

Within the business school ratings, Duke was ranked third in marketing, fourth for executive MBA program, fourth in international (up from a tie for sixth last year), ninth in management and 12th in finance.

Within engineering, Duke ranked fourth for biomedical and bioengineering, 21st for environment/environmental health, 24th for mechanical engineering, 28th for computer engineering and 31st for electrical/electronic communications.

In a new category, U.S. News asked the people who do the hiring at the nation’s top law firms to rate the academic quality of each law school, and Duke finished in a tie for eighth. Within the law school rankings, Duke was rated 11th for intellectual property law.

In addition, the magazine republished older rankings for numerous other doctoral programs and health fields, including the social sciences and humanities.

According to U.S. News, the magazine’s methodology is based on two types of data: “expert opinion about program excellence and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research, and students.” The magazine said its data came from surveys of “more than 1,200 programs and some 13,000 academics and professionals, conducted during the fall of 2010 and early 2011.”

Durham is Cool, Calm, and Collected

Really. Whatever it is that's making people so worked up just isn't that important...at least not in Durham. In a recent survey by Men's Health magazine, Durham came in as the 21st least angry city on the national list of 100 reviewed, besting all others in North Carolina.

As is often the case, the listing is pretty lightweight research and is really most likely a ranking of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, not cities. The list refers to Durham, but is probably making reference to the Durham, NC MSA which is comprised of Chatham, Durham, Orange and Person counties.

So, what does this really say about Durham? Well, a lot actually - especially if you look at what Men's Health did. They ranked places by incidences of aggravated assault (FBI data), the number of people with high blood pressure (CDC data), the amount of time spent in traffic during rush hour (Texas Transportation Institute data) and the number of anger management specialists per capita (American Psychological Association data). So, in other words, Durham is safe, healthy, and has manageable traffic.

See? Durham really is where great things happen. Now relax, will ya?

DPAC Ranks Top 10 Nationally

It's a fine day when a thing held in high-esteem receives high praise, and today is a mighty fine day indeed.  DPAC - Durham Performing Arts Center was ranked by Pollstar magazine as having the ninth highest year end ticket sales in the nation. This says a lot about the overall adoption and acceptance of DPAC as a world-class venue for performing arts.

Topping the list is New York's Radio City Music Hall with Atlanta's Fox Theater, Madison Square Garden, Caesars Palace Colosseum in Las Vegas, the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, St Louis' Fabulous Fox Theater, the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh, and Detroit's Fox Theater, rounding out the top eight.

"If you haven’t been to DPAC yet there is no better time than this winter and spring. We have over fifty different performances to choose from. Our mission is to present unique, one-of-a-kind live entertainment events. From Broadway to concerts, comedy to family shows…there really is something for everyone at DPAC,” said Bob Klaus, GM at DPAC. 

Read their press release about the ranking and note their calendar of upcoming events as there are many reasons to visit this landmark theater. Upcoming highlights include The Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Madagascar Live, Comedian Wanda Sykes and the American Dance Festival.

NYT selects Durham as one of the top 41 places in the world to visit in 2011

What do Iceland, Milan, London and Durham all have in common? They all made the New York Times list of the top 41 places to go to in 2011.

As one of only six U.S. destinations on the list, Durham was touted for it's revitalized Downtown, entrepreneurship and crop of standout restaurants and cafes.

Read the full article here.

Tourism Factor In #11 Best Place For Business

See DCVB's President Emeritus Reyn Bowman's blog below for a rather focused look behind a ranking and learn a bit more about why Durham is now being included on some lists it had never graced previously.  It is also important to note that rankings such as these are using the word "city" to refer to Metropolitan Statisical Areas which is an improper reference.  Follow the link to see the US Census' definition to learn more.

Tourism Factor In #11 Best Place For Business
Bull City Mutterings
Reyn Bowman

Because it crossed the 500,000 mark in population, the Durham NC MSA is included for the first time in the MarketWatch “best of” measures.

Also new this year in the “best places for business” methodology are new and improved metrics for tourism just released this month and signaling the growing influence of visitor centric economic and cultural development for communities.

Continue reading this blog post...

Smarty Pants

Durham is sitting pretty as the fourth smartest "city" in the United States in a ranking by Portfolio.com released this morning.  It's a nice feather in Durham's cap, for sure, and those who live and work here should well be proud. 

Basically, it says that Durham is full of smart people. 

The ranking is fully described in the attached article, and it should be noted that the study from which it was generated, like so many others, is not just of a single city.  The study looked at Metropolitan Statistical Areas, so Durham's ranking included data from the four counties that make up the Durham, NC MSA - Chatham, Durham, Orange and Person.

The study uses educational achievement (and the resulting earning power) to determine rankings.  Take a look at a slide show of the winners here.

Durham is regularly lauded as a great place to live, was recently ranked by Money Magazine as the number one place in the US to retire, and is home to a dizzying array of cultural, medical, educational and business assets that make it the place where great things happen.