According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 81.8 square miles (212km2), of which, 81.7 square miles (212km2) of it is land and 0.15 square miles (0.39km2) of it (0.19%) is water.[4] Durham's main agricultural products are almonds and walnuts.
Durham was built on the site of a former Maidu settlement known as Eskini (also, Erskins and Es-kin).[6]
Railroad crossing in Durham
Durham was founded by the Durham Family. It is named for W. W. Durham, member of the California State Assembly.[7] The Durham station on the California and Oregon Railroad was established in 1870.[8] In the mid-1900s the Northern Electric Railway (later the Sacramento Northern Railway) built an electrified rail line through Durham.[9] Both railroads served Durham for many years with both passenger and freight service; the Sacramento Northern line was removed by the 1980s, and the California and Oregon (now Union Pacific) railroad no longer stops in Durham. The Durham House is a reminder of what Durham was back in its early years. Durham grew considerably as the site of the first California State Land Settlement Colony, established by an act of the state legislature in 1917.[10] The Durham Flour Mill, which burned down several times, was an integral part of this community.[11]
Originally focused on cattle and sheep ranching, the Durham economy is strongly focused on almond production. The first almond trees in the area were planted experimentally in 1875, and on a commercial scale in 1895.[12] Today, almonds, walnuts, and rice are the most important crops grown in the area.
On June 1, 2011, a tornado rated EF1, struck south of Durham, uprooting thousands of almond trees, destroying an out building and damaging a barn.[13]
The Census reported that 99.1% of the population lived in households, 0.6% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.3% were institutionalized.
There were 2,172 households, out of which 30.3% included children under the age of 18, 61.6% were married-couple households, 6.0% were cohabiting couple households, 17.7% had a female householder with no partner present, and 14.6% had a male householder with no partner present. 18.5% of households were one person, and 9.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.66. There were 1,643 families (75.6% of all households).
The age distribution was 21.8% under the age of 18, 6.2% aged 18 to 24, 21.8% aged 25 to 44, 27.3% aged 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 45.3years. For every 100 females, there were 102.4 males.
There were 2,264 housing units at an average density of 27.7 unitsper square mile (10.7 units/km2), of which 2,172 (95.9%) were occupied. Of these, 72.0% were owner-occupied, and 28.0% were occupied by renters.[18][19]
↑Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, California: Word Dancer Press. p.229. ISBN1-884995-14-4.
↑Mansfield, George C. (1918). History of Butte County, California. Los Angeles, CA: Historic Record Company. p.265. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
↑Mansfield, p.345. sfn error: no target: CITEREFMansfield (help)
↑Mansfield, p.357. sfn error: no target: CITEREFMansfield (help)
↑Mansfield, p.905. sfn error: no target: CITEREFMansfield (help)
↑Mansfield, p.356. sfn error: no target: CITEREFMansfield (help)
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