Forest Hills, Durham
Forest Hills, Durham at a glance
| Metric | Value | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Walk Score | 49 / 100 | 32 businesses within walking distance |
| Transit | 43 / 100 | 7 stops within an 800 m walk |
| Drive times | 12–15 min | across 8 directions within ~8 km |
| Air quality | AQI 60 | Good air quality; 28.3°C at the sampled reading |
| Rooftop solar | ~13,109 kWh/yr | ~79 m² usable roof; up to 40 panels (illustrative centroid roof) |
| Local market | 4.15★ average | Food & entertainment district |
What's it like to live in Forest Hills, Durham?
Forest Hills is a historic residential neighborhood in Durham, North Carolina, encompassing 150 acres of rolling, wooded terrain. Established in the early 1920s as Durham’s first automobile suburb, the neighborhood was designed by landscape architect Earl Sumner Draper with curvilinear streets that follow the area's natural topography. Bounded roughly by University Drive, Kent Street, Bivins Street, and the American Tobacco Trail, the neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The dominant housing types are single-family homes built between 1923 and 1955. These structures showcase Colonial Revival, Craftsman, Tudor Revival, and English Cottage architectural styles, ranging from bungalows to large estates like the Mary Duke Biddle Estate. Outdoor recreation and daily leisure center around Forest Hills Park, which contains a playground and the historic Forest Hills Clubhouse built in 1927. Residents also have direct access to the American Tobacco Trail, a multi-use path running along the eastern boundary.
While Forest Hills is primarily residential, the adjacent University Drive corridor features local dining and retail options, such as Foster's Market and Guglhupf Bakery, Cafe & Biergarten. For remote-work options, Guglhupf serves as a workspace, while nearby downtown Durham provides dedicated coworking locations, including Provident1898, Durham Bottling Company, and BioLabs. Connectivity to major employment hubs in the Raleigh-Durham area is facilitated by NC Highway 147 (Durham Freeway), which links directly to Interstate 40 and places Research Triangle Park within a 10-to-20-minute drive. Duke University and its medical center are less than a 10-minute drive to the northwest. Local public transportation is provided by GoDurham, with Route 7 (Forest Hills - S. Roxboro - MLK Pkwy) and Route 10 running along University Drive, offering regular bus service to the central transit hub at Durham Station.
How walkable and connected is it?
Forest Hills, Durham is a food & entertainment district pocket of Raleigh-Durham, with 32 businesses mapped within walking distance. Its walkability rates 49/100 — on the lower end for walkability in Raleigh-Durham. Local businesses average 4.15★ on Google, and high foot traffic peaking 11am–2pm, 5–8pm.
For getting around, transit access scores 43/100 (Moderate), with 7 stops within an 800 m walk. Reaching Downtown Raleigh (~33.8 km) takes about 97.8 min by transit versus 35.2 min driving. Typical drive times to key destinations average 14.1 min — above average for drive times in Raleigh-Durham.
Environmentally, current air quality is good (AQI 60), above average for air quality in Raleigh-Durham.
Neighbourhood composition · 32 businesses mapped
Local market activity
How do you get around?
Transit access · 43/100 (Moderate)
Drive time by direction (~8 km)
What's the climate, air quality and solar potential?
Air quality & weather
Rooftop solar — example
For real estate professionals
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