People can be the victims of negative stereotypes, but so can neighborhoods.

Residents of one part of town may never venture into other sections because of the things they've heard.

"You wouldn't want to go there, there's too much crime," is a typical stereotype. Repeated often enough, it can attain the ring of truth, even if the reality is far different.

A week ago, Preservation Durham and other organizations sponsored a home tour in East Durham as a reality check against negative stereotypes. It was a good reminder. Visitors found an area similar to many other older urban neighborhoods, where families are renovating historic homes and working hard to build a community.

An example was the Driver Street home of Kim Sage and her partner, Karen Sage. Their turn-of-the-century home has been lovingly restored, primarily through their own efforts. They've seen the neighborhood weather some tough times, but now see it reviving, home by home.

Preservation Durham is doing much more than inviting people to visit. It also established East Durham as a National Register Historic District. The designation encourages owners to renovate homes through a state tax credit that can pay back 30 percent of the cost.

Preservation Durham also helped create Uplift East Durham, a neighborhood group working to improve the community. And it has facilitated the sale and rehabilitation of many historic properties.

In its mission statement, Preservation Durham says it believes that "to have a true impact in the community, many nonprofit groups and public and private organizations must work together."

An example of such a partnership was also on the tour -- the old Holton School, newly renovated into the truly magnificent Holton Career and Resource Center, a joint venture of Durham Public Schools, the City of Durham and Duke Health System.

There's plenty of opportunity in East Durham, including homes ranging from total fixer-uppers to ready-to-move-in. And for the truly ambitious, the old Y.E. Smith School is up for sale. With 45,388 square feet, on the market for $325,000, it has plenty of room to dream.

Preservation Durham deserves credit for dispelling negative stereotypes and for taking positive steps to improve East Durham.