Watts Hospital-Hillandale Homes for Rent

On the north side of Duke University’s campus and just west of Durham’s City Center, Watts Hospital-Hillandale was named for the community’s history in medicine and its need for outdoor recreation. Watt’s Hospital was Durham’s first hospital, built in 1895, and began as a private institution that treated residents who couldn’t afford healthcare. James Duke was so inspired by Watt that he co-created the state’s first medical college, Duke University, which allowed students to work alongside Watt’s Hospital. Another prominent North Carolina figure, John Sprunt Hill was a philanthropist who married into the Watts family. “John Watts and John Hill were tired of driving to another golf course, so they made Hillandale,” says Karl Kimball, Director of Golf at Hillandale Golf Course. In addition to the town's medical and golf-related past, Watts Hospital-Hillandale boasts a historic district teeming with vintage homes encircling Oval Drive Park, which hosts community events like the annual Art Walk. The town is wedged between the busy Interstate 85 and Durham Freeway, which runs parallel to Business Route 70, where most of the neighborhood’s niche retail and trendy eateries can be found.