Cary is a town in Wake County and Chatham County, North Carolina. Cary is part of the Raleigh-Cary, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 Census, the population of Cary was 174,721, making it Wake County's second-largest municipality, the seventh-largest in North Carolina, and the 150th largest in the United States.

Cary began as a railroad town, and became known as an educational center in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; Cary High School was the first state-funded public high school in North Carolina. The creation of the nearby Research Triangle Park in 1959, resulted in Cary's population doubling every decade from 1950 to 2000. Cary is now the location of technology and manufacturing companies, including the largest privately-held software company in the world.

In Cary, 68.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is higher than the state average. In 2021, Cary was identified as the safest mid-sized city in the United States, based on 2019 FBI data.

Geography

Located in the Piedmont region of the eastern United States, Cary is near North Carolina's Research Triangle. It is edged on the north and east by Raleigh, on the north and west by Research Triangle Park and Morrisville, on the south by Apex and Holly Springs, and on the west by the Jordan Lake area. The town is hilly, with much of the undeveloped land covered in dense woods. Several creeks and small lakes dot the area, most notably Lake Crabtree in the north.

Nearly all of Cary is in western Wake County, with neighborhood-sized sections in the northeast corner of Chatham County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 43.5 square miles (112.6 km²). 42.1 square miles (109.0 km²) of it is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²) of it (3.17%) is water. More recent Cary records show that as of 2010 the town has a total area of 55.34 mi².

Climate

Cary has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) under the Köppen climate classification system. It receives hot summers and mildly cold winters, with several months of pleasant weather each year. Temperature extremes here range from the negatives to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Hurricanes and tropical storms can affect Cary, usually after weakening substantially from being over land. Some, such as Hurricane Fran in 1996, have caused great damage in the area. Snow falls every year, averaging around 6 inches annually.

Climate data for Cary, North Carolina
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	80 (27)	84 (29)	94 (34)	95 (35)	99 (37)	104 (40)	105 (41)	105 (41)	104 (40)	98 (37)	88 (31)	81 (27)	105 (41)
Average high °F (°C)	50 (10)	54 (12)	62 (17)	72 (22)	79 (26)	86 (30)	89 (32)	87 (31)	81 (27)	72 (22)	62 (17)	53 (12)	71 (22)
Average low °F (°C)	30 (−1)	32 (0)	39 (4)	46 (8)	55 (13)	64 (18)	69 (21)	67 (19)	61 (16)	48 (9)	40 (4)	33 (1)	49 (9)
Record low °F (°C)	−9 (−23)	−2 (−19)	11 (−12)	23 (−5)	29 (−2)	38 (3)	48 (9)	46 (8)	37 (3)	19 (−7)	11 (−12)	0 (−18)	−9 (−23)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	4.02 (102)	3.47 (88)	4.03 (102)	2.8 (71)	3.79 (96)	3.42 (87)	4.29 (109)	3.78 (96)	4.26 (108)	3.18 (81)	2.97 (75)	3.04 (77)	43.05 (1,093)
Source: http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/fitness/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USNC0107

Townscape

Cary is divided into distinct east and west sections. The eastern side, being older, contains the downtown area as well as the town's oldest neighborhoods. Several of the town's iconic buildings, such as the Ashworth Drug Store, Fidelity Building, and Page-Walker Hotel are found in the eastern part of town. The western side is much newer and is visibly the center of wealth in Cary. Almost completely suburbanized, the area features sprawling neighborhoods, parks, and lakes. Golf courses and mansions are commonplace, most notably those associated with the Preston community.

The Cary Town Hall

The Fidelity Bank and Ashworth Drug Store

Downtown Cary, on Chatham Street

History

Main page: History of Cary, North Carolina

Page-Walker Hotel (now local history museum).

In 1750, Cary began as a settlement called Bradford's Ordinary. About 100 years later, the construction of the North Carolina Railroad between New Bern and Hillsborough went through the town, linking Bradford's Ordinary to a major transportation route.

Allison Francis "Frank" Page is credited with founding the town. Page was a Wake County farmer and lumberman. He and his wife, Catherine "Kate" Raboteau Page bought 300 acres (1.2 km²) surrounding the railroad junction in 1854 and named his development Cary, after Samuel Fenton Cary (a former Ohio congressman and prohibitionist he admired). Page became a railroad agent and a town developer. He laid out the first streets in Cary and built a sawmill, a general store and a post office (Page became the first Postmaster). In 1868, Page built a hotel to serve railroad passengers coming through Cary. Cary was incorporated on April 6, 1871, with Page becoming the first mayor. In 1879, the Raleigh and Augusta Air-Line Railroad (later the Seaboard, now CSX Transportation) arrived in Cary from the southwest, creating Fetner Junction just north of downtown and spurring further growth.

In the early years Cary adopted zoning and other ordinances on an ad-hoc basis to control growth and give the town structure. Beginning in 1971, the town created Planned Unit Development (PUD) zoning to accommodate population growth related to the growth of Research Triangle Park nearby. A PUD allows a developer to plan an entire community before beginning development, thus allowing future residents to be aware of where churches, schools, commercial and industrial areas will be located well before such use begins. Kildaire Farms, a 967-acre (3.9 km²) Planned Unit Development in Cary, was North Carolina's first PUD. It was developed on the Pine State Dairy Farm by Thomas F. Adams, Jr. Adams named a section of Kildaire Farms "Farmington Woods" in their honor. The local government has placed a high value on creating an aesthetically pleasing town.

In addition to the Page-Walker Hotel, the Carpenter Historic District, Cary Historic District, Green Level Historic District, Ivey-Ellington House, and Nancy Jones House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	316	—
1890	423	33.9%
1900	333	−21.3%
1910	383	15.0%
1920	645	68.4%
1930	909	40.9%
1940	1,141	25.5%
1950	1,446	26.7%
1960	3,356	132.1%
1970	7,686	129.0%
1980	21,763	183.2%
1990	43,858	101.5%
2000	94,536	115.6%
2010	135,234	43.1%
2020	174,721	29.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 174,721 residents of Cary, residing in 62,789 households. The population density of Cary is 3,014 people per square mile, versus 1078.8 for Wake County and 196.1 for North Carolina.

The Census reports that 68.4% of adults in Cary age 25 years or older have a bachelor's degree or higher. In addition, 97.9% of Cary's households have a computer, and 95.2% have broadband.

Cary's racial composition as of 2020
Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	99,357	67.%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	13,506	7.73%
Native American	302	0.17%
Asian	39,035	22.34%
Pacific Islander	76	0.04%
Other/Mixed	8,069	4.62%
Hispanic or Latino	14,376	8.23%

During the 1970s and 1980s, the high number of non-native-born North Carolinians moving to the town for employment in the Research Triangle Park, led native-born North Carolinians to refer to Cary derisively as "Containment Area for Relocated Yankees." As of the 2020 Census, 28.97% of Cary's population was born in North Carolina, 77.87% were born in the United States, and 22.13% were foreign born.

Infrastructure

Transportation

GoCary bus

Amtrak Station

Cary Greenway

Public transit

Public transit within the town is provided by GoCary, with six fixed-routes. There is a door-to-door service for the senior citizens (60+) and riders with disabilities. GoTriangle operates fixed-route buses that serve the Wake County and connect to Go transit systems in Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. All GoCary buses are fare-free through June 2022 as part the CARES Act.

Intercity rail

Amtrak's Silver Star, Carolinian, and Piedmont passenger trains stop at the Cary Station, providing service to Charlotte, New York City, Miami, and intermediate points. Built in 1995 and expanded in 2011, the station includes 130 free parking spaces.

Bicycle

In 2010, the League of American Bicyclists designated Cary as one of the fourteen recipients of the first Bicycle-Friendly Community awards for "providing safe accommodation and facilities for bicyclists and encouraging residents to bike for transportation and recreation." Cary maintains over 200 miles of bike-friendly road and greenways facilities. In addition, U.S. Bicycle Route 1 (Carolina Connector) and N.C. Bicycle Route #2, (Mountains to Sea), both pass through suburban Cary.

Pedestrian

Cary maintains a network of 80 mi (130 km) of greenways, sidewalks, and trails that connect neighborhoods and parks throughout the town. There are requirements on environmental conditions of greenways to preserve a park-like atmosphere. Standard sidewalks and paths exist throughout the town. The 23 mi (37 km) American Tobacco Trail, built on a retired section of railroad, passes through parts of Cary.

Air transit

The Raleigh-Durham International Airport is north of Cary, and covers more than 35 nonstop destinations with twelve carriers. RDU served nearly 8.8 million passengers in 2021. This is down from pre-COVID 14.2 million passengers a year in 2019.

Freeways and primary routes

Main page: North Carolina Highway System

Cary is linked to areas both in and out of N.C. via the east–west running Interstate 40, the north–south running U.S. 1, and the east–west running U.S. 64. State highways in Cary include NC 54, NC 55. NC 147. NC 540, and NC 751. A primary road within the town is Cary Parkway.

Utilities

Duke Energy provides electricity for Cary. Dominion Energy has provided natural gas to Cary since 2019, when it acquired the Public Service Company of North Carolina. Cary's primary water source is Jordan Lake, which is treated at the Cary/Apex Water Treatment Facility. The North Carolina Division of Water Resources oversees the allocation of water to Cary. When demand exceeds capacity, Cary purchases water from Durham. Water and sewage accounts are overseen by the Town of Cary. Cary also provides curbside recycling.

Smart city technology

In 2016, Cary created its Simulated Smart City Program which allows the town to test and evaluate Internet of Things (IoT) and smart city technologies in its town hall campus. Technologies already tested and expanded into the community include in sensors for public parking that reveal available spots, smart street lights that dim when not needed, smart trash and recycling containers that message when they are full, and free outdoor Wi-Fi via beacons. The first town-wide IoT project was a smart water monitoring system with analytics from SAS which can detect leaks; this system is projected to save $10 million over the cost of its installation. The National Recreation and Park Association noted, "These technologies offer more than just cost savings for the city of Cary. They also provide convenient quality-of-life improvements for citizens, and in many cases help lower environmental waste." Cary and SAS also collaborated on a IoT stormwater flood alert system, winning the 2020 IDC Smart Cities North American Awards (Smart Water Category) and the 2020 Government Innovation Award (Leveraging IoT for Increased Flood Protection).

In 2021, Cary installed IoT and smart city technologies that give emergency vehicles faster access though pedestrian crossings, railroad crossings, school zones, and traffic lights. This is the first citywide system like this in North Carolina. Paid for by the town with a matching grant from the U.S Department of Transportation, this project involved fifteen pedestrian crossings, 100 school safety beacons, 205 traffic signals, and railroad crossings. Residents can also take advantage of this technology by adding the pre-existing TravelSafely® app to their smartphone, providing connections to the town's traffic control devices and other users such as pedestrians or cyclists.

In late 2021, Cary announced a new tech-focused Center of Excellence that brings together the town, SAS, and Semtech Corporation to create new community services and expand the digital infrastructure. Connected World says, "In the quest for developing smarter cities across the country, …the town of Cary, N.C., is one of the smartest towns in the United States…."

Public recreation

Cary Tennis Park

Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park
Page-Walker Hotel
WakeMed Soccer Park, where the Carolina RailHawks play.
William B. Umstead State Park
USA Baseball National Training Complex
Thomas Brooks Park
Sk8 Cary Skate Park
Fred G. Bond Metropolitan Park
Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve
MacDonald Woods Park
Walnut Street Park

Tennis

Cary Tennis Park
Recreation Club of Lochmere

Golf

Lochmere Golf Club
Prestonwood Country Club
MacGregor Downs Country Club
SAS Championship

Events

Cultural

Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival
Spring Daze Arts & Crafts Festival
Cary Diwali Celebration - Festival of Light
Ritmo Latino Music, Art and Dance Festival
NC Eid Festival
Cary Band Day

Sports

2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2013, and 2015 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship
2009-2014 NCAA Division II Baseball Championship
2011 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships
2012 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Tennis Championships
Home to North Carolina FC of the North American Soccer League

Honors and designations

Money Magazine Best Place to Live #5 in the Nation in 2006.

Sister cities

Economy

According to the 2020 Census, the median income in Cary is $106,304 or $57,341 per capita. The percentage of Cary's residents living in poverty is 4.4%, and just 6.3% of its population under the age of 65 lacked health insurance. Between 2015 and 2019, the median value of owner-occupied houses in Cary was $356,400. The home ownership rate (owner-occupied housing units to total units) is 68.4%. However, there are growing concerns about Cary's lack of affordable housing. Over the past twenty years, Cary has added 10,000 jobs earning $35,000 or less; however, the cost of housing has increased significantly. The Town of Cary says that less than 20% of its own employees can afford to live in the town. The median rental costs in Cary is $1,246 per month.

The cost of living in Cary is rated at 115, with 100 being the national average.

Notable businesses

Epic Games's giant slide

Global Knowledge headquarters

Notable technology companies located in Cary include ABB, Epic Games, Garmin, HCL Technologies, IntelliScanner Corporation, Lockheed Martin 3D Solutions, SAS Institute, and Xerox.

Manufacturers located in Cary include Austin Foods/Kellogg's which makes snack foods, and Lord Corporation which makes adhesives, coatings, and motion management devices for aerospace and automobiles. Cotton Incorporated is a non-profit located in Cary which conducts worldwide research and promotes the use of cotton.

Top employers

According to the Cary's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the town are:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	SAS Institute	5,567
2	MetLife	3,100
3	Verizon	2,000
4	Siemens Healthineers	1,600
5	HCL Technologies	1,500
6	Town of Cary	1,152
7	Precision Walls	1,015
8	Global Knowledge Training	1,000
9	American Airlines Reservation Center	964
10	ABB	900
10	Austin Quality Foods/Kellogg's	900

Sports

Carolina Railhawks vs. F.C. Dallas in a 2014 U.S. Open Cup match in WakeMed Soccer Park

Cary is home to two professional sports teams: North Carolina FC (USL League One) and North Carolina Courage (National Women's Soccer League). USL League One is the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. Both teams play their home games at WakeMed Soccer Park, also known as Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park.

Club	Sport	Founded	League	Venue
North Carolina FC	Soccer	2006	USL League One	WakeMed Soccer Park
North Carolina Courage	Soccer	2009	NWSL	WakeMed Soccer Park

WakeMed Soccer Park has been the host site for NCAA Men's Division 1 Soccer championships.

As of 2007, Cary is also home of the USA Baseball National Training Complex, located within the 221-acre town's Thomas Brooks Park Beginning in 2009, the complex was selected to host the NCAA Division II College World Series.

Education

Green Level High School

Cary Academy

Public schools

Headquartered in Cary, the Wake County Public School System is the largest public school system in North Carolina. Cary has five public high schools: Cary High School, Green Hope High School, Green Level High School, Middle Creek High School, and Panther Creek High School. Cary has seven middle schools and nineteen elementary schools that are part of the Wake County system.

Cary has three charter schools: the K–8 grade Cardinal Charter Academy, the K–7 grade Peak Charter Academy, and the K–11 grade Triangle Math and Science Academy.

Private schools

Cary Academy, 6—12 grade
Cary Christian School, K—12 grade
Chesterbrook Academy, K—5 grade
Grace Christian School Upper Campus, 7—12 grade
Heartwood Montessori School, K—12 grade
Hopewell Academy, 6—12 grade
Resurrection Lutheran School, K—8th grade
Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic School, PK—8 grade

Higher education

Wake Technical Community College's Western Wake Campus is located on Kildaire Farm Road in Cary.

Notable people

Nida Allam, politician and political analyst
Vernetta Alston, politician and attorney
John Altschuler, television and film writer and producer
Debbie Antonelli, sports commentator
Reggie Barnes, former pro-skateboarder and founder/owner of Eastern Skateboard Supply
Fred Bond Jr., tobacco industry representative and politician
Marshall Brain, television host and author
Chucky Brown, former professional basketball player
Miguel Campanerta, ballet dancer and choreographer
Chris Castor, former professional football player
Casey Cole, American Franciscan friar, writer, and blogger
Héctor Cotto, Olympic track and field athlete
Claire Curzan, Olympic swimmer
John Custer, record producer and musician
Anoop Desai, singer-songwriter and contestant on American Idol
Spright Dowell, former president of Alabama Polytechnic Institute, now Auburn University
Tim Downs, author and comic strip artist of Downstown
Chris Flemmings, professional basketball player
Kendall Fletcher, professional soccer player
James Goodnight, co-founder and CEO of SAS Institute
Chris Hubert, professional football player
Andrew Hubner, author
Justin Jedlica, model and businessman
Greg Jones, professional baseball player
Isaiah Johnson, professional football player
U. Alexis Johnson, former U.S. Ambassador to Japan and Czechoslovakia
Alfred Daniel Jones, former U.S. Consul General in Shanghai
Scott Kooistra, professional football player
Glen Lang, CEO of Capitol Broadband and politician
Luke Maye, professional basketball player
Wiley Nickel, member of the N.C. Senate
Matt Oberst, musician
Robert N. Page, politician
Walter Hines Page, journalist and U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain during WWII
Emile Pandolfi, pianist
Hilda Pinnix-Ragland, business executive and philanthropist
Max Povse, professional baseball player
Bevin Prince, actress
Morgan Reid, professional soccer player
Justin Ress, competitive swimmer
Saiyan (Ryan Danford), former professional esports player
John Sall, co-founder of SAS Institute
Mark Scalf, baseball coach
Zack Schilawski, former pro soccer player and assistant coach at UNC Wilmington
Ainsley Seiger, actress
Ryan Spaulding, professional soccer player
Azurá Stevens, professional basketball player
Tim Sweeney, founder and CEO of Epic Games
Rysa Walker, author
Aaron Ward, former professional hockey player
Curtis Waters, recording artist
Harold Weinbrecht, politician and programmer for SAS
Jennifer Weiss, former member of the N.C. General Assembly
Kay Yow, former head coach of women's basketball at North Carolina State University
Katie Zaferes, professional triathlete