Bull City gores rival in ranking.

• Position: Triangle

For years, Durham has played Raleigh's little brother, tagging along and getting less attention. It's Raleigh-Durham International Airport, not the other way around. Until a few years ago, they were part of the same metropolitan statistical area, in which Raleigh, of course, got top billing. When national magazines compile best-of lists, they usually think of Raleigh first.

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Forbes, for example, says Durham is 12th among the nation's "best places for business and careers." But Raleigh is No. 1. Sure, Durham occasionally beats out Raleigh. Site Selection magazine says it ranks fourth for employment in science and engineering as a percentage of its work force, while Raleigh ranks 19th. But Raleigh has more science and engineering jobs. In that same issue, Raleigh ranked sixth in its size classification for corporate building projects, while Durham didn't crack the top 10.

So it's pretty sweet for Durham--though city officials are loath to admit it publicly--when it beats Raleigh outright, as it did in a recent issue of Fortune Small Business. The magazine says Durham is the 12th-best place to live and launch a business, while Raleigh just barely made the top 20. Durham's biotech and drug industries were lauded, along with its arts festivals and college sports. Raleigh got props for its tech sector and its location amid major research and business centers but demerits for...