I'll be starting the Romance Studies PhD program this fall! I actually went to Duke for my undergrad and think Durham is an amazing place. There's a great farmer's market, local food culture, some awesome breweries, a minor league baseball team, and even cool art.
I have a hard time generalizing about "safe" and "unsafe" areas in Durham because they're often not very far apart. I lived at the Belmont for a year and a half as an undergrad and never had any problems personally, although there was a string of burglaries toward the end of my senior year (2011).
I'm also on the look out for a roommate to split a 2BR/2BA
