I just wanted to put in a good word for Durham. I went to undergrad at Duke and am working here post-grad and it is an absolutely phenomenal place to live. In the five years I've been here the city has improved SO much. The reputation Durham has as an unpleasant place to live is really a dated one--present-day Durham has an incredible arts scene, a huge number of great restaurants, and a wonderful sense of community. People are deeply invested in this town and helping built it into a thriving place. Even the most skeptical students I knew really loved Durham by the time they left....it's a great mix of Southern culture with the international influence of Duke, as well as the mini-economic revival running through the downtown.
Duke History itself is fantastic. I cannot say enough positive things about how supportive and brilliant the professors are. And the Department has a great reputation. It's also worth mentioning that the areas around East Campus (where the history dept. is located) are very safe and home to lots of professors and grad students.
Anyway, I'm still from Duke so probably not entirely objective, but just wanted to make sure you know you're not (by any means!) going to some violent, culture-less place. Check out the NYTimes recent piece on the city, as well: http://travel.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/travel/36-hours-in-durham-nc.html?ref=travel&_r=2&
