If you’ve heard of Durham, you’ve probably heard the term The Research Triangle. We know it sounds a bit scary; a nightmare combination of grad school, an unfortunate Amelia Earhart expedition and your apartment search all wrapped into one unsettling anxiety attack. Not what you had in mind for the weekend? Fear not weary explorer, we’ve got a handle on this and there’s good news on the horizon—Durham, known as the City of Medicine—is an easy pill to swallow in many ways but we’ll start with the landing gear first.

In Durham, it might appear that all roads lead to Duke University—the heart of this town and the city’s largest employer, but Durhamites (they don’t bite) are an eclectic bunch of scholarly brains and creative types that give this city a serious edge.

Both established neighborhoods and up and coming ones have much to offer including a range of pricing as diverse as its inhabitants. Often described as “gritty” in a good way, this is a small city with a big appetite for culture, education, technology and the arts.