Why Durham County

A Tradition of innovation

Big things happen here in Durham County. Our history laid the groundwork for a wave of innovation that would define the following century and shape the development of North Carolina and the world for years to come.

Durham has been a leader of industry innovations and investment since Washington Duke discovered bright leaf tobacco, establishing the largest corporation at the time, American Tobacco Company, and birthing conglomerates American Tobacco, P. Lorillard, R.J. Reynolds, and Liggett & Meyers.

Thus began an entrepreneur-led wave of new business and innovation. This included the first textile mill to produce denim, the Durham Cotton Manufacturing Company. In one year, the company became one of the largest denim producers in the country.

The success of Black Wall Street speaks for itself, including storied institutions such as Mechanics & Farmers Bank and the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, which once was the largest Black-owned insurance company in the world. 

We are home to Duke University, North Carolina Central University, and Durham Tech. 

Today, more than 170 major companies, including Biomeriuex, Corning, Eli Lilly, IBM, GlaxoSmithKline, Google, Merck, Novo Nordisk, RTI International, United Therapeutics, and agencies such as the EPA, employ more than 39,000 full-time employees in Durham County.