Named for
Prohibition leader Sen. Samuel Fenton Carey (1814-1900) of Ohio, the once-sleepy
railroad town of Cary has attracted – and continues to attract – many newcomers.
In fact, Cary is the third largest city in the Triangle. A
large part of its appeal is not only its close proximity to Research Triangle
Park, but also its neat fit into the American dream of suburbia.
Planning, planning and more planning is Cary's adage. It
takes but one drive around Maynard Road, which circles Cary, to understand the
vision: planned neighborhoods with large homes, two-car garages and well-groomed
lawns as far as the eye can see.
On the business front, Cary is home to such leading
companies as SAS Institute, American Airlines and IBM. However, unlike many
towns, commercial development is regulated much the same as residential
development. While other Triangle towns have rules governing residential
neighborhoods, Cary insists on tasteful commercial buildings that match the
surroundings.
That attention to detail has proved very beneficial when
dealing with the population explosion in Cary. This city has grown from 43,000
in 1990 to nearly 100,000 today. And forecasters predict that by 2025, Cary will
add 60,000 new residences and 90,000 new jobs.
To handle the
expansion, city leaders and developers carefully control development and have
built an infrastructure to absorb the growth. In fact, it wasn't until recently
that the voice to slow down Cary's growth was heard. Lately, Cary officials have
been developing innovative growth controls. Some of these include requiring
developers to prove there are enough roads and classrooms to accommodate the
newcomers, as well a $70 million expansion of the water treatment plant that
serves Cary and nearby Apex.
In addition, Cary's land-acquisition ordinance requires builders to donate land to the city's Parks and Recreation Department based on the number of houses that will be built. Currently, Cary has 20 city parks, including the Fred G. Bond Metro Park and Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve, and Lake Crabtree County Park. There’s also the Kids Together Playground at Wellington Park. In addition to community swimming pools, tennis courts and some of the finest golf courses in the area, these green spaces are what make people from all over the country want to call Cary home.
The construction of Western Wake Medical Center near Tryon
Road and Kildaire Farm Road has helped to serve the growing population's need
for, and access to, convenient medical care.
Walk around downtown Cary where Chatham and Academy streets
meet, and you feel like you're in a small town. This is where Lazy Daze Arts and
Crafts Festival, considered one of the finest festivals in the state, is held
annually. Also downtown is the Page-Walker Arts and History Center, formerly the
Page-Walker Hotel, which was built in 1868 to serve train passengers. Homes in
and around downtown were mostly built during the 1950s.
Once considered the outskirts of town, the Greenwood Forest
subdivision is now in the middle. Built during the 1950s and '60s, it is
bordered by Walnut Street and East Maynard. Close by are Cary High School, Cary
Village Square shopping center and Cary Towne Center Mall.
Cary first began growing southward with the MacGregor Downs
subdivision – the first prestigious development in Cary. Built in the 1960s with
large lots and homes off U.S. 64, MacGregor Downs defines Cary's southernmost
point. In fact, many claim that Cary's reputation for upscale residential living
is due to this subdivision. Condominiums and homes command good prices,
especially in the MacGregor West neighborhood, adjacent to MacGregor Downs
Country Club, where you can find estate-size home sites of one to five acres.
Kildaire Farms, Cary's first planned unit development (PUD)
with various style homes in different price ranges, was developed along Kildaire
Farm Road and Cary Parkway during the 1970s and '80s. This community has more
than 2,500 residential units throughout its neighborhoods, a greenway system
with jogging trails and bike paths, the Kildaire Farms Racquet and Swim Club and
the Cary Athletic Club located within its boundaries.
Regency Park, a PUD developed during the 1980s, includes
commercial as well as residential buildings. It's located off the intersection
of U.S. 1 South and U.S. 64. Regency Park Estates, tucked away in Regency Park
adjacent to Hemlock Bluff's Nature Preserve, is a neighborhood where every home
site is an acre or larger.
Lochmere, a PUD not far from Regency Park on the southern
end of Kildaire Farm Road east of U.S. 1, also was developed in the 1980s. With
three lakes, miles of nature and jogging trails, swim and tennis clubs, golf and
several different neighborhoods in all price ranges, Lochmere has been a very
successful community.
Due west, the community of Preston is credited for reshaping Cary. Preston,
located off High House Road, offers more than 20 different neighborhoods.
Traditional, transitional and contemporary homes are found throughout this PUD.
As in other developments of its kind, Preston has golf
(three 18-hole courses), swimming, tennis, an exercise facility, playgrounds and
picnic shelters, as well as the Prestonwood Country Club.
Other communities developed during the '80s and '90s pulled Cary northward up Harrison Avenue. Some of these neighborhoods include Wessex, an upscale community with a swimming pool and tennis courts; North Harrison Trace, a single-family community with a number of home designs; and Beechtree, which includes townhomes, cluster homes and single-family homes. This area of Cary offers easy access to I-40, Lake Crabtree and Umstead Park.