Durham group wants the Bull City to have its own welcome sign at RDU
If you’re new to the Triangle area, it might come as a surprise that Raleigh-Durham International Airport is not in a hyphenated city called “Raleigh-Durham.”
What could be even more surprising is that, despite being named after the region’s two largest cities, the airport has a Morrisville postal address, even though it lies outside the town limits in unincorporated Wake County.
The name of the airport, which serves over 15 million travelers a year, has sparked debate before. Now, one group in Durham wants to make sure the Bull City gets its recognition.
Durham Next, the nonprofit leg of the Discover Durham visitor and tourism organization, is creating a “Welcome to Durham” sign to be displayed in RDU’s Terminal 2.
The new sign will highlight Durham as a vibrant urban center in the Triangle and the South, displaying some of the city’s attractions.
Susan Amey, the CEO of Discover Durham, said the sign will be the first impression of Durham for travelers arriving or connecting at RDU who “may be unaware that it serves both major cities and all that our larger region offers.”
“We plan for the design to reflect Durham’s bold, creative, inclusive and innovative personality and hope to inspire people to visit some of our most iconic landmarks,” Amey said. “We anticipate that it will also serve as a point of pride for residents of the Bull City and a reminder of some of the places they most love.”
There is no signage or branding specifically welcoming people to Durham when they arrive at the airport.
Currently, travelers are greeted in Terminal 2 by a 7-foot-tall stone and glass mosaic of a meadow of native flowers and plants created by California-based painter Robert Kushner. Nearby, there is a “Welcome to Raleigh” sign created by N.C. State alumnus Mark McLawhorn. Other welcome signs are displayed throughout the terminal for the state and Raleigh.
Morrisville Mayor TJ Cawley said there hasn’t been a push for a “Welcome to Morrisville” sign at RDU but he would support one if there was.
Take the survey
The Durham sign will display local landmarks and promote the city as the “best place to live, work and visit,” Durham Next said.
The group is considering 30 landmarks and places across Durham County, including The Streets at Southpoint, the Carolina Theatre of Durham and the American Tobacco Campus.
A survey will help select the final 10 to 15 attractions to feature on the sign. Take the survey at durhamnext.org/rdu-survey.
This story was originally published June 25, 2025 at 8:00 AM.