Cary: Weather and Much More from Answers.com

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°46′44″N, 78°48′1″W (35.778919, -78.800208).¹ 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. 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 acres ( km²) 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 1879, the Raleigh and Augusta Air-Line Railroad (later the Seaboard, now CSX) 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 city structure. Beginning in 1971, the town created a Planned Unit Development 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 acre ( 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. and was inspired by an early PUD in Farmington, MA. 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.

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 census² 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.^[2] 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.^[3] 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.

On October 9, 2007, Ernie McAlister lost the mayoral election to former council member Harold Weinbrecht.[8][9] Citizen concern over the impact rapid growth is having on the town, especially on roads, schools, and the environment, led to McAlister's ouster. [10]

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, 2003-2007
Harold Weinbrecht, mayor-elect

Voting system

In 2007, Cary was the first town in NC to volunteer to participate in an experimental instant runoff voting pilot program.IRV. [11] The city of Cary will use IRV in the October 2007 mayor and city council elections as part of a pilot program approved by the North Carolina State Legislature.

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 America 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
R. H. 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

History of Cary Elementary and Cary High Schools Established in the late 1800s.

High schools

Middle schools

Elementary schools

Private schools

Cary Academy private high school
Cary Christian School
Resurrection Lutheran School Currently k-5
St Michael School

Higher education

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 Greenways 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 article: 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

Events

Arts and entertainment

Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park
Sertoma Amphitheatre at Bond Park
Jordan Hall Arts Center
Page Walker Arts & History Center
Lazy Daze Arts and Crafts Festival held in downtown Cary every Summer.
Spring Daze Arts and Crafts Festival
Concert Singers of Cary
Cary Community Choir
Cary Players Community Theater
Cary Ballet Conservatory
Applause Cary Youth Theatre
Crossroads 20 Movie Theatre
Galaxy Cinema specializes in foreign films and independent movies.

Activities and amenities

SAS Soccer Park where the Carolina Railhawks play.
USA Baseball National Training Complex
Cary Tennis Park
Sk8 Cary Skate Park
Cary Ice House Skating Rink
South Hills Lanes Bowling Center
Buffaloe Lanes Cary Bowling Center
Cary Family YMCA
Life Time Fitness Center
Stevens Nature Center at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve
William B. Umstead State Park Cary's North Harrison Avenue ends at the Reedy Creek Entrance.

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 square feet ( m²) 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 [12]. 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 square feet ( m²) of retail, including a free-standing Whole Foods, square feet ( m²) of offices, a 120-room hotel and 200 residential units. - [13]
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.[14] 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:

Sister cities

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

Cary is also paired with:

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. [15]
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. [16]
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. [17]
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.^[4]
Cary was listed by CNNMoney.com as one of the best places to live in the Eastern United States in 2003 [18] and #5 place to live in the United States in 2006. [19]^[5]
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. [20]
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. [21]
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. [22]
Cary residents Aaron Ward and Jesse Boulerice are former Carolina Hurricanes players who have made their homes here. [23]

References

^ "Cary By The Numbers", Town of Cary. Retrieved on 2007-04-16.
^ "Cary By The Numbers", Town of Cary. Retrieved on 2007-04-16.
^ Bourne, Joel. "Suburbia Unbound", National Geographic. Retrieved on 2007-04-16.
^ "CARY IS ONCE AGAIN SAFEST IN NC AND IN THE SOUTH", Morgan Quitno Press. Retrieved on 2007-04-16.
^ "Best Places to Live", Money Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-04-16.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Cary, North Carolina

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:

Maps: Coordinates: 35.778919° N 78.800208° W

Municipalities and communities of Wake County, North Carolina
County seat: Raleigh
Townships	Bartons Creek \| Buckhorn \| Cary \| Cedar Fork \| Holly Springs \| House Creek \| Leesville \| Little River \| Marks Creek \| Meredith \| Middle Creek \| Neuse \| New Light \| Panther Branch \| Raleigh \| St. Mary's \| St. Matthew's \| Swift Creek \| Wake Forest \| White Oak
Cities	Raleigh
Towns	Apex \| Cary \| Fuquay-Varina \| Garner \| Holly Springs \| Knightdale \| Morrisville \| Rolesville \| Wake Forest \| Wendell \| Zebulon
Communities and CDPs	Auburn \| Bonsal \| Carpenter \| Feltonville \| Kennebec \| Lizard Lick \| New Hill \| Swift Creek

Metropolitan Area of "The Triangle" (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill)
Primary Cities	Raleigh • Durham
Other Large Cities	Cary • Chapel Hill • Apex • Carrboro • Wake Forest • Clayton • Oxford • Smifthfield • Henderson • Garner • Sanford • Morrisville
Counties	Chatham • Durham • Franklin • Granville • Harnett • Johnston • Lee • Moore • Orange • Person • Vance • Wake
Major Universities	Duke • UNC-Chapel Hill • NC State • NC Central • Shaw University • Meredith College
Miscellaneous	Research Triangle Park • Triangle J Council of Governments

	State of North Carolina Raleigh (capital)
Topics	History \| Geography \| North Carolinians
Regions	Western \| High Country \| Foothills \| Piedmont \| Metro Charlotte \| Piedmont Triad \| Triangle \| Sandhills \| Coastal Plain \| Southeast \| Inner Banks \| Outer Banks
Larger Cities	Asheville \| Charlotte \| Durham \| Fayetteville \| Gastonia \| Greensboro \| Greenville \| High Point \| Jacksonville \| Raleigh \| Wilmington \| Winston‑Salem
Smaller Cities	Albemarle \| Asheboro \| Burlington \| Concord \| Eden \| Elizabeth City \| Goldsboro \| Graham \| Havelock \| Henderson \| Hendersonville \| Hickory \| Kannapolis \| Kings Mountain \| Kinston \| Laurinburg \| Lenoir \| Lexington \| Lumberton \| Monroe \| Morganton \| New Bern \| Newton \| Reidsville \| Roanoke Rapids \| Rocky Mount \| Salisbury \| Sanford \| Shelby \| Statesville \| Thomasville \| Wilson
Towns	Apex \| Boone \| Carrboro \| Cary \| Chapel Hill \| Cornelius \| Garner \| Hope Mills \| Huntersville \| Indian Trail \| Kernersville \| Matthews \| Mint Hill \| Mooresville \| Morehead City \| Smithfield \|

Sunday		HI: 86°F / 30°C LO: 66°F / 18°C
Monday		HI: 87°F / 30°C LO: 69°F / 20°C
Tuesday		HI: 91°F / 32°C LO: 70°F / 21°C
Wednesday		HI: 92°F / 33°C LO: 71°F / 21°C
Thursday		HI: 90°F / 32°C LO: 71°F / 21°C

Cary