Image problem? What image problem

Conventional wisdom says Durham has an image problem.

Numbers say otherwise -- according to the Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Seventy-six percent of North Carolinians have a positive image of our Bull City, more than of Winston-Salem, Charlotte, Greensboro or Raleigh. Even in Wake County, 68.7 percent of respondents thought well of Durham in 2009, up from a historic low of 12 percent in 2006 (think Duke Lacrosse).

Retiring DCVB CEO Reyn Bowman and incoming CEO Shelly Green reported the upbeat news to the City Council this afternoon. The bureau surveys how Durham is esteemed in and out of town each year.

Bull Citizens themselves think well of the old home town. The 2009 figures say 85.8 percent of residents agree that "Overall, I am proud of Durham; 7.5 percent disagree.

"Durhamites are very proud of their community," Green said.

The poll also sampled opinion on two current issues:

• 72 percent favor keeping the current ordinance against new or upgraded billboards.
• 94.5 percent agree that appearance and upkeep should be a high priority.

Curiously enough, while almost 74 percent of Durham residents know about the new Performing Arts Center, only 17.5 percent of Orange County residents had heard of its existence and just 9.8 percent of Wake's.

"When we see a place, we don't see it for its cathedrals," Bowman said. "We see it for its curb appeal."