Durham is an historic university town located beside Great Bay at the mouth of the Oyster River. Residents enjoy strong community bonds, excellent schools, recreational and cultural opportunities, an accessible downtown, and a rural quality evident in visible, verdant expanses. 

It is a town diverse in age groups, occupational endeavors, geographical backgrounds, and interests. The University of New Hampshire (UNH) the state’s largest public institution of higher learning, contributes to the Town’s character, economy, and purpose.  Residents value positive interactions with the university population.

The community's vision encourages mixed residential and commercial development in and near the downtown including retail establishments, offices, services, eateries, and other businesses that will serve local needs and interests while attracting visitors from neighboring vicinities.  In designated areas beyond downtown, balanced development can be accomplished by prudently integrating our community’s range of values.  Through forward-thinking engagement on the part of our citizens and town government, in tandem with continued pursuit of a productive partnership with UNH, our vision for Durham’s future can be realized.

Durham’s accolades include:

The No. 1 town in N.H. for young families by NerdWallet.com, a personal finance website.

The fifth most exciting place in the state by Movoto, a real estate brokerage based in California.

The No. 1 town in the state for population and job growth from 2010 to 2012 by Nerdwallet.com.

The second safest community in the state by Safe Choice Security, a national provider of security systems.

The No. 2 place to live for “20-somethings” in the country by CNNMoney.

The top community for equal treatment for the LGBT community by the Human Rights Campaign.

Oyster River High School ranked in the top 1 percent of more than 14,000 schools evaluated by Newsweek.

A great place for the young at heart by the Boston Globe.