DURHAM is located twenty miles northwest of Raleigh halfway between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the pristine beaches of North Carolina's Outer Banks. Its rich and colorful history follows a path from the Civil War to the emergence of the tobacco industry to more recent events of the civil rights movement. Today, Durham is a center for scientific research through its Research Triangle Park where its scientists have developed everything from artificial turf to pharmaceuticals. Durham is also a major center for education as home to Duke and NCCU, as well as many other private schools and institutions.