A new survey commissioned by the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau should provide a boost of self-esteem. The survey, conducted by Nano-Phrades pollsters, shows that Durham has the most positive image of any of North Carolina's five largest cities -- 76 percent. Second place was Winston-Salem at 70.2 percent followed by Charlotte at 64.9 percent.
Even better news was that the perception of Durham among its neighbors has improved. The percentage of residents who are negative about Durham has been narrowed to 10 percent in Orange County and 16.3 percent in Wake County.
That's great, since historically, those negatives were much higher among neighbors. But another part of the poll seems stuck in the past.
More than a third of residents in Orange County and nearly two-thirds of those in Wake County say that based on what people say, they would expect a negative or uncertain experience in Durham.
That's a head-scratcher that's hard to jive with the high positives.
DCVB president and CEO Reyn Bowman says the positive changes come from more balanced news coverage, insistence that Durham locations be listed in Durham -- it's maddening, for example, when RTP is said to be in Raleigh -- and a grass-roots corps of "Image Watchers."
We agree those efforts are valuable and must continue.
More than image correction is at work, however. The biggest change in Durham's image has come from actual changes on the ground. Downtown Durham has undergone a remarkable transformation in the last 10 to 15 years, and people have noticed. It is a much more vibrant and exciting place than it was.
The best thing that can happen to perceptions of Durham is that a visitor from out of town comes to a ballgame or a concert, a restaurant or a conference, then returns home to relate what a great time he or she had. As that happens more and more, Durham's negatives will continue to fall.
