In a recent article, Livability: America's Best Places to Live and Visit ranked Durham as the number 4 best place to live in 2014. Other North Carolina cities included on this list were Greensboro, NC ranked number 19; Asheville, NC ranked at number 48; and Chapel Hill, NC ranked at number 71. The top three cities included: Palo Alto, CA; Boulder, CO; and Berkeley, CA.
Durham is well known for its schools, including Duke, and its numerous hospitals, allowing the city to be dubbed as "the medical city". The city includes amenities like the Museum of Life and Science and the Durham Performing Arts Center.
According to Matt Carmichael, author of the article, Durham's history dates back through tobacco production, textiles, and agriculture. Approximately 50 years ago, the Research Triangle Park was established as a means to retain professionals from local universities including those in the Raleigh and Chapel Hill area; especially in areas of technology and science. Since then, the city has been able to embrace its past and remake itself into one of the leading industries in research and technology. More than 1 million square feet of land has been reused and old tobacco mills have been transformed into residential loft and office space, known as the American Tobacco Historic District to maintain its historic importance while blending with modern technology.
http://livability.reachlocal.net/top-100-best-places-to-live#/berkeley/ca
