Downtown Durham is in ZIP code 27701 and zoned for Riverside High. Its ZIP home value was $421,664 in August 2026, according to Zillow.
Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Sources: the City of Durham’s planning GIS data and Durham Comprehensive Plan, Durham Public Schools’ 2026-27 attendance zones, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2025-26 accountability data, NCDOT’s highway exit data, OpenStreetMap and Zillow Research.
Downtown is the center of Durham, about 0.9 square mile inside the boundary OpenStreetMap draws for Downtown Durham. The city’s comprehensive plan calls it “the historical center of economic activity in the city and county,” with “multifamily housing, commercial spaces, restaurants, offices, and small parks and green space.” Homes here are mostly apartments and condominiums, plus older houses at the edges. All of it is in ZIP code 27701.
What this means for you
- Zoned high school: Riverside High, 47.5% of state tests at grade level in 2025-26. Check an address with the city’s school locator.
- Home value: $421,664 in ZIP code 27701 in August 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.
- Nearest freeway exit: Durham Freeway (N.C. 147) Exit 12, Mangum and Roxboro streets, about 0.6 mile by road.
Part of our Durham neighborhoods guide.
Where it is
OpenStreetMap’s Downtown Durham boundary takes in the blocks around Main, Chapel Hill and Parrish streets, with the Durham Freeway along its south side and Durham Central Park and Brightleaf Square inside it. City Hall is at 101 City Hall Plaza.
Most of it is in two historic districts. The City Council adopted the Downtown Durham local historic district by ordinance on May 15, 1989, and the Downtown Durham Historic District, described as an “early-mid 20th c. commercial district,” was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, according to the city’s historic district data. In a local historic district, state law requires a certificate of appropriateness before most exterior changes. The city’s Place Type Map marks the core as Downtown, with Established Residential and Apartment and Townhouse Neighborhood areas at the edges.
Schools
Downtown is in Durham Public Schools. We checked 330 points across the area against the district’s 2026-27 attendance zones. All were zoned for Riverside High and Brogden Middle, and all but a sliver on the east side for George Watts Elementary; that sliver is zoned for Eastway Elementary. Riverside’s campus is in north Durham.
| Level | School | At grade level | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary | George Watts Elementary, 700 Watts St. | 67.4% | Met |
| Middle | Brogden Middle, 1001 Leon St. | 44.6% | Exceeded |
| High | Riverside High, 3218 Rose of Sharon Road | 47.5% | Met |
“At grade level” is the share of state tests at grade level or above in 2025-26, from the state’s accountability data; the district figure was 53.2%. Durham School of the Arts, a district magnet school at 401 N. Duke St., is inside downtown but is filled by application, not by zone. Check any address in the school locator or call the Office of Student Assignment at 919-560-2059. More in our schools guide.
Home values
Zillow publishes no figure for downtown alone. The Zillow Home Value Index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price.
| Area | August 2026 | August 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZIP code 27701 | $421,664 | $423,900 | -0.5% |
| City of Durham, for comparison | $389,634 | $403,339 | -3.4% |
Trends are on our home prices page.
Parks and trails
From the city’s park data and Durham Parks and Recreation:
- Durham Central Park, 501 Foster St., 5.6 acres with a skate park and playground.
- Downtown Dog Park, 308 Elliott St.
- Oakwood Park, 411 Holloway St.
- Old North Durham Park, 310 W. Geer St., just north of the boundary.
- The American Tobacco Trail starts at the south edge of downtown, and the North/South Greenway runs north from it, according to OpenStreetMap.
More in our parks and trails guide and walking and biking trails guide.
Getting around
- Durham Freeway (N.C. 147): Exit 12 (U.S. 15 and U.S. 501 Business, Mangum and Roxboro streets) and Exit 13 (Chapel Hill Street) are each about 0.6 mile by road from the middle of downtown; Exit 12C (Duke Street) is about 0.9 mile. Exit names are NCDOT’s.
- City Hall (101 City Hall Plaza): about 0.4 mile by road.
- Raleigh-Durham International Airport: about 14.6 miles by road.
- Buses: Durham Station, on Willard Street, is the hub for GoDurham. GoDurham Routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10B, 11, 11B, 12 and 16 stop downtown, and GoTriangle Routes 400, 405, 700, 705, DRX and ODX stop at Durham Station or on Chapel Hill and Duke streets, according to the city’s bus stop data and GoTriangle’s schedule data. See GoDurham and GoTriangle.
Distances were measured with the OSRM routing engine on OpenStreetMap roads from a point in the middle of the area. They are distances, not drive times. More in our getting around guide and our American Tobacco Campus guide.
Groceries and everyday stores
OpenStreetMap lists these within about 1.5 miles:
- Supermarkets: Durham Co-op Market, 1111 W. Chapel Hill St.; Compare Foods, 1233 University Drive; Whole Foods Market, 621 Broad St.
- Pharmacies: Main Street Pharmacy, downtown; Walgreens, 710 Fayetteville St.
- Shopping: Brightleaf Square, on the west side of downtown.
- Library: the Durham County Library’s Main Library, 300 N. Roxboro St.
How we built this page
The area is the Downtown Durham boundary in OpenStreetMap; the historic district dates come from the city’s planning GIS. School zones come from the district’s 2026-27 attendance zones, checked at 330 points across the area; a home near a zone line can differ. We found no city or county registry of homeowners associations for downtown, so this page does not describe them.
Frequently asked questions
What high school is downtown Durham zoned for?
All of downtown is zoned for Riverside High, Brogden Middle and, for almost every address, George Watts Elementary in Durham Public Schools’ 2026-27 attendance zones. Riverside had 47.5% of state tests at grade level in 2025-26.
What ZIP code is downtown Durham?
Downtown Durham is in ZIP code 27701. Zillow’s Home Value Index for 27701 was $421,664 in August 2026, down 0.5% from August 2025.
Is downtown Durham a historic district?
Yes. The city adopted the Downtown Durham local historic district in 1989, and the Downtown Durham Historic District has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1977.
How far is downtown Durham from RDU airport?
About 14.6 miles by road from the middle of downtown to Raleigh-Durham International Airport, measured on OpenStreetMap roads.
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