Raleigh has grown more diverse and more interesting since I moved to the Triangle in 1994, but there is still a lot about the capital city that seems bland and generic.

Durham's different. Durham is jazz. Durham is cool.

Eighteen months ago, I came here from Raleigh to direct news coverage for The N&O and to edit The Durham News. Getting to know this fascinating city has been an adventure and a delight.

Now, all too soon, I must say goodbye. We're facing some challenging conditions in our business these days and have reduced our staffing with buyouts and a few layoffs -- and many of us who remain are being redeployed. I have been summoned back to Raleigh to pitch in on the editing chores there.

Succeeding me at The Durham News helm is my colleague Mark Schultz. He is a first-rate journalist who came to The N&O in 2005 from the Herald-Sun, where he was Metro editor. So unlike me, he'll start the job with a broad and deep knowledge about Durham.

Two fine reporters who have been part of my team in Durham, Samiha Khanna and Matt Dees, have accepted buyout offers and are leaving the paper this week to explore other careers -- a regrettable but understandable choice for smart young people given the shape our business is in these days. We'll miss them.

And I'll miss Durham. But I'll be back to visit.