$426,445Average Value$359Average Price per Sq Ft6Homes For Sale
Walltown is a historic neighborhood north of downtown Durham
Filling the blocks north of Duke University’s East Campus is Walltown, a historically Black neighborhood with strong community ties. Walltown’s name honors George Wall, an African American man who purchased the land the neighborhood was built on in the late 19th century. The neighborhood would grow as Black workers moved into the city for jobs at Durham’s rapidly expanding tobacco factories. Today, Walltown is a diverse community with a namesake park and a recreation center. “There’s a mix of people who have been there for many years and people just moving in. There are also quite a few rental properties,” says Marie Brockenbrough, a Durham native and Realtor with Inhabit Real Estate. According to Brockenbrough, Walltown attracts first-time homebuyers, students and university staff for its home prices, walkability and proximity to Duke University.
Nearby Duke University is one of the top private universities located in Durham, NC.
Walltown Park Recreation Center is a multipurpose facility hosting a full slate of community programs and events in Durham, NC.
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A mix of renovated early 20th-century homes and new construction
Single-family homes in Walltown rest close together on wide, gridded streets. The neighborhood features rows of shotgun homes, cottages and bungalows built in the first half of the 20th century; the homes were originally built for tobacco factory workers. Many of these homes have been renovated, and some have been torn down and replaced with new construction. Living space is modest, averaging around 1,200 square feet. The same goes for land, with a median lot size of less than a quarter-acre. Concrete sidewalks edge small front yards, individually landscaped with bushes and flowerbeds, while mature trees shade backyards that are often fenced. Home prices range from roughly $200,000 to around $450,000. However, newly built homes can exceed $600,000. Brockenbrough notes that Walltown is a hotspot for rental properties, which accounts for why renters outnumber homeowners in this neighborhood by nearly three-to-one.
Small cottages built in the first half of the 20th century are common in Walltown.
Older Bungalows are among the most common in Walltown.
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A recreation center, a partially closed park and other nearby green spaces
Walltown Park Recreation Center is a landmark of community history. According to Durham Parks & Recreation, the original building was built by residents in the 1950s. Some of the original stones were used in constructing the current recreation center in 2011. Along with programming, exercise classes and fitness equipment, it hosts community meetings and birthday parties. The surrounding green space, Walltown Park, which features basketball courts and a playground, remains partially closed after a 2022 study found high lead levels in the soil. City and state officials don’t have a timeline for when additional testing and remediation will be complete.
In the meantime, several other city parks are within a few miles of the neighborhood, including Rock Quarry Park, which has tennis courts, a dog park and natural space. Trails connect it to the Museum of Life and Science, which offers over a dozen exhibits that can be explored for free on designated Durham Community Days. Two greenways are nearby, including the South Ellerbee Creek Trail, which passes through the Pearl Mill Nature Preserve before heading into downtown Durham. Duke University students and staff can access Brodie Recreation Center, which sits a few blocks south of the neighborhood.
Walltown residents enjoy walking on the Ellerbee Creek Trail with their furry friends.
Residents enjoy a friendly game of tennis at Rock Quarry Park, a beloved green space in Durham’s Walltown neighborhood, surrounded by tall pines and tranquil nature.
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Local boutiques, restaurants and Hollywood history on Ninth and Broad streets
Walkable from many homes in Walltown, the Ninth Street retail district and nearby Broad Street feature an array of small businesses, such as Manifest Skate Shop and the Regulator Bookshop. “I spent much of my college years working at Vaguely Reminiscent boutique,” Brockenbrough says. “It’s like a little museum in there. Lots of quirky gifts and jewelry and clothing.” Local restaurants range from casual spots like Dain’s Place, known for its sports bar vibe, to refined venues like Metro 8 Steakhouse, where the menu features classic cuts and Argentinean dishes. Baristas at Joe Van Gogh pour creative lattes that customers often enjoy paired with a muffin or scone. The Green Room, immortalized in the baseball romcom “Bull Durham,” is a longtime late-night hangout. “I love it because it’s never changed. It attracts young people who are into the cool, gritty pool hall as well as old dudes who have been playing pool their whole lives. It’s no-frills beer, pool and darts,” Brockenbrough says. Whole Foods Market anchors the Bull City Market shopping center to the south, while Harris Teeter and Costco join national retailers like Burlington and the Home Depot north of Interstate 85.
Ninth Street in Durham has an eclectic collections of stores.
The Green Room pool hall is a longtime haunt for students and area residents.
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Proposed plans for the former Northgate Mall site
The nearly 60-acre site of the defunct Northgate Mall, which sits adjacent to the neighborhood, is set for transformation as part of the Walltown Small Area Plan. The latest draft of the plan includes affordable housing, green space and a grocery store.
The Walltown Children’s Theatre provides a stage for budding artists
For the last quarter century, the Walltown Children’s Theatre has filled a former church along Berkeley Street with music, drama and dance. The nonprofit, first created to provide after-school programming, offers a safe space for area youth to participate in performance art, learn a new skill through classes and camps, and build long-lasting friendships. Several showcases and productions are held throughout the year, including a reimagined classic holiday musical or play each December.
Neighborhood schools and the nation’s top public high school
Durham Public Schools, which earns a B-plus rating from Niche, divides the city into five regions. Each area offers specialty schools with an application lottery for enrollment. Walltown is in the central region. Its assigned schools start with E.K. Powe Elementary, an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme school, which receives a B rating. Brogden Middle gets a C and offers a Fundamentals of Biotechnology course as an elective for eighth graders. The B-plus-rated Riverside High has an engineering pathway. The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, an A-plus-rated two-year public high school for gifted students interested in STEM, sits west of Walltown. Niche ranks it as the top public high school in America. Durham Charter School has a campus in the neighborhood. However, in June 2025, the school is moving to a new campus along Wake Forest Highway. It receives an 8 out of 10 rating from Great Schools.
Durham is home to the highly regarded Duke University, known for its research hospital. Its East Campus, site of the Department of Music and multiple residential halls, sits about a block south of Walltown. It features the Alice M. Baldwin Auditorium, which hosts classical music performances, and Jack Katz Stadium, where the Blue Devils field hockey team plays.
E.K. Powe Elementary School in Raleigh, NC has a student-teacher ratio of 11 to 1.
Brogden Middle School serves nearly 700 students in the Durham, NC area.
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Highways, bus stops and a greenway are close by
With Interstate 85 to the north and the Durham Freeway to the south, Walltown offers commuters close access to two major highways. Research Triangle Park, a hub for hundreds of tech industry jobs, is roughly a 12-mile commute. Raleigh-Durham International Airport is around a 16-mile drive. Residents don’t need to take highways to reach downtown Durham, less than 3 miles away. Cyclists can use bike-friendly West Knox Street to connect to the South Ellerbe Creek Trail for a scenic ride into City Center. GoDurham buses stop along West Club Boulevard. Neighborhood sidewalks lead to destinations like Durham’s East Campus, Walltown Park and the commercial corridor along Broad Street.
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.
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On average, homes in Walltown, Durham sell after 30 days on the market compared to the national average of 52 days. The median sale price for homes in Walltown, Durham over the last 12 months is $399,999, down 3% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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This property at 1410 Green St features 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms within a total of 1,772 square feet. The living room offers ample space for relaxation and is equipped with ceiling fans for comfort. The kitchen includes essential amenities and provides access to storage space. Each bathroom is fitted with a tub/shower combination and framed mirrors. The bedrooms are designed for functionality
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