Abstract:
In the first decade of the 21st century, Durham -- the state's fourth largest city -- is redefining itself once more. Situated in North Carolina's Piedmont Crescent on the edge of the Old Belt bright leaf tobacco zone, Durham is perhaps our most diverse city. It is a city shaped by the forces of tobacco, textiles, big business, great philanthropy, advanced education, technology and medicine, and now a resurgence of all aspects of the arts.