Historic West End is one of Durham’s oldest and largest historically Black neighborhoods. It was once home to notable figures such as Pauli Murray, a 20th-century activist and legal scholar, and Richard Fitzgerald, the city’s leading brickmaker in the late 1800s. And it’s still home to the city’s oldest brick church building, the historic Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, now the Deliverance Temple Apostolic Church. The neighborhood is centrally located between downtown, Duke University and North Carolina Central University, merging rich history with modern urban convenience. “The blend of vibes is a big appeal,” Jaye Kreller of Inhabit Real Estate says. “It would normally be considered a normal historic suburb, but since there are tons of parks and commercial areas around, the area has its own little village atmosphere,” says the Realtor, who has more than 20 years of experience working in the Durham housing market. “It’s centrally located on a macro level, given that it’s easy to get to the universities and downtown, but it’s also centrally located on a micro level, being that it’s walkable to parks, shops and restaurants right here, too.”
Pauli Murray Center for History is located in Historic West End.
The Historic West End neighborhood is one of Durham, North Carolina's largest and oldest since the 1800s.
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Recreation galore in Historic West End
The Pauli Murray Center for History & Justice offers exhibits and workshops designed to connect history to present-day human rights issues. The center, on the north side of the neighborhood, is based out of Murray’s childhood home. It’s designated both a National Treasure and a National Historic Landmark. There are a few public parks and playgrounds in Historic West End, including Orchard Park and Hillside Park. Lyon Park has not only a playground but also multiuse athletic fields, picnic areas and a basketball court. It’s also home to the Community Family Life & Recreation Center, a century-old rec center that was once a school and now has a gym, auditorium and computer lab. The historic community gathering space holds youth summer camps and regular health clinics. Nearby Forest Hills Park sprawls across more than 45 acres. “It’s one of the largest parks in Durham, with tennis courts, play structures, and more. People from multiple neighborhoods go there for outdoor recreation,” Kreller says. Forest Hills Park also offers picnic areas and an outdoor pool. The American Tobacco Trail, a paved, greenway-style trail system, is accessible just a few blocks east of the tennis courts.
Pauli Murray Center for History is located on the north side of Historic West End.
Orchard Park sits on 7.39 acres of land in West Central Durham, NC.
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Early 20th-century homes, brand-new builds and between
Historic West End comprises several small subdivisions, characterized by quiet, heavily wooded streets displaying residential architecture’s hits of yesterday and today. “You have a mix of the old and new here. You have historic homes and then you also have brand-new homes,” Success Realty Realtor Melvin Watson, who has more than two decades of experience in the local real estate market, says. 1930s Craftsman and Prairie homes peek from between rows of midcentury ranch-style homes. Modest Minimal Traditional and Cape Cod cottages stand next to large Colonial Revival and Traditional/Modern Farmhouse-style new construction. “Most of the older houses were built on large lots, so when they are a little too far gone in terms of needing renovations and updating, people go in, tear them down and build two or three new houses with tiny lots in their place. It’s such a great location and demand is so high that people are really incentivized to carve up their larger lots to fit more housing,” Kreller says. Kreller adds that most homes in the neighborhood sell for between $350,000 and $700,000. “But it depends on size, age and condition, of course. There are some beautifully renovated or brand-new homes that go for the multiple millions and teardowns or homes that need a lot of work that go for closer to $200,000 or $250,000.” And Watson notes that homes here don’t stay on the market long. “If it’s priced right, it could sell within days.”
The Historic West End neighborhood sits on the edge of downtown Durham and is convenient to RTP.
The Historic West End of Durham, NC is one of the oldest in the city.
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Close to urban core shopping and dining
This close to the city center, there’s shopping and dining galore. Durham Co-op Market offers locally sourced, natural foods and wellness items. Harris Teeter and Whole Foods provide staples for a full grocery haul. Both grocery stores are just north of downtown, across the Durham Freeway from Historic West End. Downtown is known for its vibrant dining scene, but Kreller says Historic West Enders can also head south to Durham-Chapel Hill Road for food. She recommends Nanas for upscale, modern American fare, with the caveat that it’s “on the pricier side.” She says The Original Q-Shack is well-known for “quintessential North Carolina barbecue” and Saltbox Seafood Joint is good for “low-key, casual seafood.” In 2022, the eatery’s founder and chef, Ricky Moore, was named the best chef in the Southeast by the James Beard Foundation.
Durham's Co-Op market offers locally sourced, natural foods in Historic West End.
Saltbox Seafood Joint in Durham’s Historic West End neighborhood serves fresh, locally sourced seafood.
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Montessori magnet program at Morehead Elementary; Duke and North Carolina Central University nearby
Kids in the area are served by schools in the Durham Public Schools system. Between preschool and fifth grade, they may go to Morehead Montessori Magnet Elementary, C.C. Spaulding Elementary or Lakewood Elementary, depending on their address. Morehead’s Montessori model is designed to promote the academic, social and emotional growth of students through self-guided learning and discovery in developmentally appropriate environments. Montessori Magnet earns a B grade from Niche. Spaulding gets a C-minus and Lakewood gets a C. All three elementaries are feeder schools for Brogden Middle, which receives a C, and Jordan High, which gets a B-plus.
Duke University’s West Campus is within about 2 miles of most neighborhood homes. The private research university offers more than 200 undergraduate programs of study. North Carolina Central University (NCCU), the first public liberal arts institution for African American students in the country, is just a couple miles away, too, but to the east. NCCU offers nearly 100 different undergraduate programs.
Morehead Montessori’s magnet program earns a B grade from Niche in the Historic West End neighborhood.
NCCU, is just a couple miles east of the Historic West End neighborhood.
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South of Durham Freeway
The Durham Freeway runs along Historic West End’s northeast corner, separating the neighborhood from downtown. The city’s vibrant urban core is within about 2 miles of most homes. Duke University Hospital, a major local employer, is about 3 miles away via the freeway. The drive takes less than 10 minutes in light traffic conditions. Business Route 15 runs through the community, connecting northeast toward the Durham Freeway and downtown and southwest toward U.S. Route 501. Getting around town without a car is easy, too, with GoDurham bus stops scattered along main thoroughfares nearby. “Its walkability is a real boon, too,” Kreller says, adding that access to the American Tobacco Trail is a large part of the neighborhood’s appeal.
GoDurham provides bus stops throughout the Historic West End neighborhood.
The American Tobacco Trail is a large part of the Historic West End neighborhood’s appeal.
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Crime
CAP Index gives Historic West End an overall crime score of 8 out of 10, which is high compared to the national average of 4 out of 10. The CAP Index scores for property crimes, including burglary and motor vehicle theft, are higher than the national average, too, at 9 out of 10 compared to 4 out of 10.
GreatSchools:
The GreatSchools Rating helps parents compare schools within a state based on a variety of school quality indicators and provides a helpful picture of how effectively each school serves all of its students. Ratings are on a scale of 1 (below average) to 10 (above average) and can include test scores, college readiness, academic progress, advanced courses, equity, discipline and attendance data. We also advise parents to visit schools, consider other information on school performance and programs, and consider family needs as part of the school selection process.
View GreatSchools Rating Methodology
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Crime and Safety
1 - Low Crime, 10 - High Crime
Historic West End
US
Homicide
5
4
Sexual Assault
6
4
Assault with Weapon
6
4
Robbery
5
4
Burglary
6
4
Motor Vehicle Theft
6
4
Larceny
6
4
Crime Score
6
4
Source: WhatIsMyCrimeRisk.com
Historic West End Demographics and Home Trends
On average, homes in Historic West End, Durham sell after 51 days on the market compared to the national average of 53 days. The median sale price for homes in Historic West End, Durham over the last 12 months is $675,000, up 72% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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