Welcome to Duke University and to Durham, North Carolina. This page contains links to information about housing, living in Durham, and other helpful information for the benefit of our visitors.
Housing
Apartments are usually rented from a "complex," which is usually a set of building each with several apartments. Every complex has a name. The thing to do is to look up the complex online by name and contact the main office or property manager to ask about renting the apartment. (See the provided list below). There are lots of apartment complexes along La Salle and Campus Walk that are in the $1,100 a month range. Many past visitors have stayed in one of those Past visitors have also stayed in University Apartments. Apartments in the most desirable parts of town--generally, downtown and points west--tend to cost between $900 and $1,500 a month. Houses in the most desirable parts of town tend to cost $1,500 and up a month.
Bear in mind that some complexes are inhabited mostly by undergraduates, who can be loud, especially on weekends. So it would be wise to ask who lives in a complex; graduate/professional students or undergraduates?
Note that if you are only here for a semester, you might have trouble finding a complex that will rent to you for only three or four months.
Some names of apartment complexes close to campus are as follows:
Trinity Properties (manages several complexes)
University Apartments
The Belmont
Duke Manor
Station 9
Erwin Terrace
Trinity Commons @ Erwin
Poplar Manor
Holly Hill
Hilly Hills (note the "s")
The Heights La Salle
Berkshire Ninth Street
Student Exchange House- Offers short-term housing at one price for everything: furnished room, utilities, wifi, etc.
DukeList- Classified ads, including a category for rental housing. Requires a Duke ID to access.
NearDuke.com- Searchable list of rental properties near campus.
Duke International Student Center provides advocacy, advising, educational programming, and community building.
Trinity Properties (live link)-Twenty minutes walking distance to the Center, or take the LaSalle Loop Duke bus to get to campus. The neighbors are mostly foreign Duke students
University Apartments offers some furnished apartments and is close to West Campus.
Airbnb is a popular website that lists places to stay, including individual rooms in apartments or houses.
Zillow is a real estate website that lists houses for rent.
Quote from former HOPE Visiting Scholar: "In terms of areas to live, close to East Campus is a great location and I feel very safe. It's especially nice, because the bus transportation between East and West Campus is so good. Also Whole Foods is close for shopping for healthy food."
Transportation
Public transportation in Durham consists of a bus service, GoDurham. Unfortunately, the city bus service is not convenient. Unless you have a car, it is highly recommended that you live within walking distance of campus and a grocery store. There are two grocery stores near East Campus on the corner of Ninth Street and Hillsborough Road (Harris-Teeter) and on the corner of Broad Street and W. Main (Whole Foods). There is a co-op in the general vicinity of West Campus on W. Chapel Hill Street (Durham Co-op Market).
In addition to public transportation, there is the Duke University bus system, which is very good--and free. Duke Transport allows you to track the buses between the two campuses on your smart phone or computer.
Transportation can also be had using Uber or Lyft.
International House of Durham
Provides information on almost everything you need to know: housing, transportation, living essentials, etc. The International House listserv, is a great list to join where people can buy and sell things, like bikes, lamps, ktichenware - things you need when you will stay for a few months and don't want to spend a lot of money.
Places to Visit
Quote from former HOPE Visiting Scholar:"Good places to visit are definitely Asheville, Chapel Hill, and the beaches close to Wilmington. Washington, DC is not far and New York is close and one can find cheap flights to visit while here."
Quote from staff member Paul Dudenhefer: There are tons of great restaurants in Durham! You don't have to leave town to eat well!
Places to Eat
The Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau has a good webpage on local dining. There are several restaurants in West Campus's Brodhead Center. A popular coffeeshop on West Campus is Saladelia @ the Perk, the glass-wall space adjoining Perkins Library.
Doctor/Dentist
If you are having an emergency, call 911 or go to the emergency room at Duke Hospital, located at 2301 Erwin Road.
Doctor: Find a doctor in the Duke system.