CARY, NORTH CAROLINA

'Cary' is the second largest municipality in Wake County, North Carolina and the third largest municipality in The Triangle (North Carolina) behind Raleigh and Durham. It is the seventh largest municipality in North Carolina.[1] As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 94,536.[2] Town records show a population of 121,457 as of April 2007. [3]

Geography

Cary is located at (35.778919, -78.800208). It is situated at the heart of North Carolina’s renowned Research Triangle Region. 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. [4] The majority of Cary is in western Wake County, with a small part in Chatham County.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the Town has a total area of 43.5 mi² (112.6 km²). 42.1 mi² (109.0 km²) of it is land and 1.4 mi² (3.6 km²) of it (3.17%) is water. More recent Cary records show that as of 2007 the Town has a total area of 52.79 mi².[5]

History

Page-Walker Hotel (now local history museum).

Today’s Cary began in 1750 as a settlement called Bradford's Ordinary. About 100 years later, the construction of the North Carolina Railroad between New Bern and Hillsborough placed Bradford's Ordinary on a major transportation route. However it was Allison Francis "Frank" Page who 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 surrounding the railroad junction in 1854. He named his development Cary after Samuel Fenton Cary (an Ohio prohibitionist he admired). Page became a railroad agent and a town developer. He laid out the first streets in Cary. He 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. The Town of Cary was incorporated on April 6, 1871. Page became the first Mayor. [6]
In early years Cary adopted zoning and other ordinances on an ad-hoc basis to control growth and give the city structure. Beginning in 1971, the town created a Planned Unit Development zoning. 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 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. and was inspired by an early PUD in Farmington, MA. Adams named a section of Kildaire Farms, Farmington Woods in their honor. Cary's emphasis on aesthetics has led to, among other things, the erection of a cellular phone tower disguised as a tree-- the tower is visible above the normal treeline from I-40.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census year	Population

1940	1,141
1950	1,496
1960	3,356
1970	7,640
1980	21,763
1990	43,858
2000	94,536
2006	115,854

As of the census of 2000, there were 94,536 people, 34,906 households, 25,132 families residing in the town. The population density was 867.2/km² (2,246.0/mi²). As of October 2006, the population had grown to 117,442, a 4.68% increase over the previous year.^[1] There were 36,863 housing units at an average density of 338.2/km² (875.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 82.17% White, 6.15% African American, 0.27% Native American, 8.08% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.47% from other races, and 1.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.28% of the population.
There were 34,906 households out of which 41.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.3% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the town, 29.1% of the population was under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 38.6% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 5.4% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.7 years.^[1] For every 100 females there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $75,122, and the median income for a family was $88,074. Males had a median income of $62,012 versus $38,819 for females. The per capita income for the town was $32,974. About 2.1% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.8% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.
In terms of higher education, 68.0% of adult residents in Cary (25 and older) hold an associate degree or higher, and 60.7% of adults possess a baccalaureate degree or higher. Cary has the most Ph.D.s per capita in the U.S. for towns larger than 75,000 people. Cary has one of the lowest crime rates in the state for cities of its size. Suburbia Unbound Joel Bourne The home ownership rate (owner-occupied housing units to total units) is 72.8%.
Despite its increasing size, Cary Town Council has elected to keep the designation of "town". The town's reputation as a bedroom community for transplants from outside the South has led to backronyms for its name such as "''Concentrated Area of Relocated Yankees''" or "''Containment Area for Relocated Yankees''" [7] One of the major reasons for the in-migration of educated Northerners is the proximity of Cary to the Research Triangle Park, and the many other localities hosting biotech, pharmaceutical and high tech companies. This has made it a popular location for relocating professionals.
In reality, many Cary residents are native to North Carolina. Indeed, data from the 2000 Census shows that 27,627 Cary residents were born in North Carolina and 17,125 more were born in other parts of the South. Meanwhile 19,324 were born in the Northeast, 11,573 were born in the Midwest and 4,163 were born in the West. The data shows that Cary is home to people from all over the country. Additionally, 13,203 Cary residents (or 14% of the town population) were born outside the US. 31.4% are now naturalized citizens. The most common places of birth for foreign-born residents are: India (18%), Mexico (13%), China, excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan (6%), Canada (6%), United Kingdom (4%), Taiwan (4%) and Germany (4%).

Government

Cary has a council-manager government; the mayor and council members serve a term of four years, with half of the council seats being up for election each odd-numbered year. Four of the six council seats are elected by district; the remaining two seats are at-large representatives.
The current town council consists of Mayor Ernie McAlister and Representatives Jennifer Robinson (District A), Nels Roseland (District B), Jack W. Smith (District C), Marla Dorrel (District D), Michael A. Joyce (at-large), and Julie Aberg Robison (at-large). Joyce announced his resignation on July 19, 2006.

Cary Town Hall.

Mayors

★ A. F. Page, 1871

★ J. P. H. Adams, 1884

★ R. J. Harrison, 1887

★ John Nugeer, 1897

★ E. C. Hayes, 1900

★ A.R. McGarrity, 1902

★ R. J. Harrison, 1903

★ H. B. Jordan, 1904

★ N. C. Hines, 1910

★ J. M. Templeton, Jr., 1912

★ G. S. Leacock, 1914

★ T. H. Taylor, 1916

★ W. G. Crowder, 1921

★ E. P. Bradshaw, 1921

★ W. H. Atkins, 1921-25

★ G. H. Jordan, 1925

★ E. P. Bradshaw, 1925

★ Dr. F. R. Yarborough, 1927-28

★ A. N. Jackson, 1928-29

★ H. H. Waddell, 1929-33

★ Dr. J. P. Hunter, 1933-35

★ M. T. Jones, 1935

★ T. W. Addicks, 1935

★ L. L. Raines, 1935-37

★ R. W. Mayton, 1937-47

★ Robert G. Setzer, 1947-49

★ H. Waldo Rood, 1949-61

★ Dr. W. H. Justice, 1961-62

★ James Hogarth, 1962-63

★ Dr. E. B. Davis, 1963-69

★ Joseph R. Veasey, 1969-71

★ Fred G. Bond, 1971-83

★ Harold D. Ritter, 1983-87

★ Koka E. Booth, 1987-1999

★ Glen Lang, 1999-2003

★ Ernie McAlister, 2003-present.

Voting system

In 2007, Cary was the first town in NC to adopt IRV. [8]

Business

Cary Chamber of Commerce.

Largest Employer in Cary:

★ SAS Institute Largest privately-held software company in the world
Other Large Employers in Cary:

★ 3Dsolve Simulation software used in training by military, recently purchased by Lockheed Martin

★ American Airlines Reservation center.

★ Arysta LifeScience North Aemrica Chemical product manufacturer

★ Bear Rock Foods Regional restaurant chain with Cary headquarters

★ Biologics Consulting Group Biotech and biological products

★ Calvert Holdings Inc Process and logistics consulting services

★ Cimtec Automation GE Fanuc PLC Distributors

★ Cotton Incorporated is an industry trade-group.

★ Crescent Financial Corp Cary offices of bank holding companies

★ Dancik International Software publisher

★ Dialog Data processing and related services

★ Epic Games Video game developer

★ Global Knowledge Computer training

★ Infineon Technologies Physical, engineering and biological research

★ John Deere Worldwide commercial and consumer equipment division

★ Kimley Horn Engineering services

★ Kroy Building products

★ Lord Corp Chemical merchant

★ Oxford University Press Publisher

★ RH Donnelley Directory and mailing list publisher

★ Saia-Burgess Automotive products

★ Sapiens Software Developer

★ SciQuest Inc Software publishers

★ Siemens Medical

★ Ultimus Business Process Management

★ Verizon Business Telecommunications

★ Western Wake Medical Center Hospital

Education

Primary and secondary education

Higher education

★ Wake Technical Community College

★ Strayer University

★ University of Phoenix

Transportation

★ Local Bus: C-Tran is Cary's bus system. There are three fixed-routes: North-South, East-West and the Maynard Loop. There is also a door-to-door service for the elderly (55+) and the disabled. The Triangle Transit Authority operates fixed-route buses that serve the region and connect to municipal bus systems in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. For example the 301 travels RTP-North Cary-Downtown Cary-East Cary-NC State University-Downtown Raleigh. Trips can be planned at Go Triangle.

★ Passenger Rail: The Silver Star, Carolinian, and Piedmont passenger trains stop at the Cary (Amtrak station). They offer service to Charlotte, New York City, Miami, and intermediate points.

★ Bicycle: The League of American Bicyclists has designated Cary 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 Bicycle Plan

★ Walking: Cary Geeenways and Trails is a network of sidewalks and paved trails connecting neighborhoods and parks throughout town. These greenways place strict requirements on environmental conditions to preserve a park-like atmosphere. In addition, standard sidewalks and paths exist throughout the city.

Major roadways

Main articles: North Carolina Highway System

★ Interstate 40

★ US 1

★ US 64

★ State Highway 54

★ State Highway 55

★ Cary Parkway

★ Kildaire Farm Road

★ Walnut Street

★ High House Road

★ Harrison Avenue

★ Maynard Road Loop

★ Davis Drive (links to Research Triangle Park)

Recreation

Shopping

Shopping in Cary consists primarily of strip malls, located at different locations throughout the town. They usually have a grocery store as an anchor, and feature smaller stores surrounding it, with freestanding drugstores and fast-food restaurants nearby. Other types of centers are listed:

★ 'Crossroads Plaza' is a shopping district of eastern Cary south of the "crossroads" intersection of the I-40 and US 1 freeways, largely along Walnut Street. Many big box stores are found in the area, including Lowe's and Michaels.

★ 'Cary Towne Center' is a shopping mall in Cary with a 1,004,210 square feet of retail space (GLA). The mall has 140 in-line stores and has five anchors: JCPenney, Dillard's, Sears, Macy's, and Belk. It is located off Interstate 40 (exit 291) and the U.S. Highway 1/64 freeway at the intersection of Cary Towne Boulevard, Maynard Road, and Walnut Street. The mall is owned by CBL & Associates Properties.

★ 'Waverly Place' is a shopping center that is well-known in the area for its design, as seen in a 2007 Doritos commercial [9]. It currently houses a Whole Foods Market, Gold's Gym, and an Eckerd (Soon to be Rite Aid). It formerly housed a Harris Teeter that has since moved across the street and a Carmike Cinemas movie theater. On May 15, 2007, developer Zapolski + Rudd, owner of the Waverly Place, said the shopping center would be entirely razed, replaced by 204,190 square feet of retail, including a free-standing Whole Foods, 216,000 square feet of offices, a 120-room hotel and 200 residential units. - [10]

★ 'South Hills' is a shopping area located on Buck Jones Rd, which features Burlington Coat Factory and Grand Asia Market, among other stores. It currently has a short corridor inside the building, but once had a longer one that crossed the entire building. Therefore, it was formerly referred to as a mall, and one sign retains that name.

Dining

There are approximately 300 restaurants in Cary.[11] They range from fast food to fine dining, from national chains to independent establishments and from standard American fare to diverse ethnic offerings. Here are a select few:

★ Abbey Road Tavern & Grill

★ An

★ Biaggi's Ristorante Italiano

★ Cinellis

★ Heron's Restaurant at the Umstead Hotel and Spa

★ Hibernian Restaurant & Pub

★ Lotus Leaf Cafe

★ Maximillians Grill

★ Tangerine Cafe

★ Sunset Grille

★ Sushi-Thai

Sister cities

Cary has four sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

★ Markham, Ontario, Canada

★ County Meath, Ireland

★ Hsinchu City, Taiwan

★ Le Touquet, France
Cary is also paired with:

★

Apex, North Carolina

★

Raleigh, North Carolina

Interesting facts

Samuel Fenton Cary, the namesake of the city.

★ Cary was named in honor of Samuel Fenton Cary, a nationally-known leader of the Temperance movement.

★ Cary High School is considered to be the first public high school in North Carolina, having opened in 1896.

★ Kingswood Elementary was the first year-round magnet school in the United States. [12]

★ Cary's unofficial nickname was 'Gourd Capital of the World'. The oldest chapter of the American Gourd Society, the North Carolina Gourd Society (formerly the Gourd Village Garden Club), held their first meeting in Cary in 1937.

★ In 2003 the town attempted to annex some sub-divisions just beyond their southern border. Some residents began a 'Stop Cary' campaign. Consequently the town decided not to annex the area. [13]

★ In 2004 the town of Cary was declared the ninth safest of 354 large cities in the nation. It is the only southern city in the top 25. This was the sixth year in a row that Cary has been ranked in the top 10 safest cities in the U.S. [14]

★ In 2006 the town of Cary was declared the eighth safest of 354 large cities in the nation, and the safest among the southern states.^[3]

★ Cary was listed by CNNMoney.com as one of the best places to live in the Eastern United States in 2003 [15] and #5 place to live in the United States in 2006. [16] Best Places to Live

★ The Doritos Super Bowl XLI amateur commercial Live The Flavor was filmed at Waverly Place in Cary.

★ The audiophile and home theater company Cary Audio Design was originally located in and named after Cary.

★ Cary is home to the Carolina Railhawks, a Professional soccer team in the USL-1 playing at SAS Soccer Park.

★ Cary is considered an 'Edge City' to Raleigh/Durham within the Triangle Metropolitan Area. See Chapter 11 of 'Edge City: Life on the New Frontier' by Joel Garreau.

★ Following the 2000 US Census Cary was described as a 'Baby Boomburb' which is a smaller version (50,000-100,000 residents) of a Boomburb (100,000+ residents).

Residents (former and current)

★ Cary's most prominent former citizen was Walter Hines Page, former U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom. [17]

★ Cary resident Marshall Brain is the founder of the How Stuff Works website. He is also a published author and a futurist who believes that robots will have taken over unskilled jobs by 2050. [18]

★ Cary resident David Potorti became a peace activist following the death of his brother James in the World Trade Center attack of 2001. He is a founding member of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows.

★ Cary resident Deborah Gonzales is a novelist who writes under the names Sabrina Jeffries, Deborah Martin and Deborah Nicholas. [19]

★ Cary residents Aaron Ward (ice hockey) and Jesse Boulerice are former Carolina Hurricanes players who have made their homes here. [20]

References

1. Cary By The Numbers
2. Cary By The Numbers
3. CARY IS ONCE AGAIN SAFEST IN NC AND IN THE SOUTH

External links

Government:

★ Official Town of Cary website

★ Town of Cary Planning Department

★ Downtown Cary Streetscape Project Revitalization of Downtown Cary
Media:

★ Cary News

★ Cary Magazine

★ "Cary, North Carolina 27513" National Geographic

★ "Growing Up, Not Out, in Cary" News & Observer

★ "Look Who's Home in Suburbia: Nuances Replace Old Stereotypes" News & Observer

★ "Renaissance Man" Independent Weekly

★ "Cary Masala" Independent Weekly

★ "Cary: The charm of a fast-growing small town" Independent Weekly

★ "Best Places to Live 2006 - Cary, NC" Money Magazine

★ "Best Affordable Suburbs: South" Business Week
Groups:

★ Cary Chamber of Commerce

★ Heart of Cary Association

★ Cary Community Foundation

★ CaryPolitics.org

★ Cary Visual Art

★ Cary Art Loop
Maps:

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