Living in Cary NC: Contents

You can learn more about Cary on our Blog Post: “10 Reasons People LOVE Cary”

Living in Cary NC: Cary’s Personality 

The first thing that might be misleading about Cary is that on its website, it calls itself a Town. But really, Cary is a medium sized city with a population of 182,000. For many years Cary has marketed itself as a small town, and it has always had the feel of a suburb where single family homes with nice big yards were the norm. However, recent changes in zoning have given clues that this small town/suburban feel may be short lived. If you’re living in Cary, you won’t mistake it for Mayberry! (If you need to see Cary for yourself, you can take a look at our Cary Videos page.)

The single level recently demolished Cary Town Center mall, was purchased by Epic Games as the site of their new mixed use development headquarters. A major sports complex is in the works for the aging and somewhat dilapidated South Hills Mall. And the recently opened Fenton development, pushed the boundaries on what was typical for building height requirements in Cary.

In addition to all that, downtown Cary used to have a close knit historic feel, but developments over the last few years have pushed boundaries much closer and denser than they had been.

Full disclosure here. . . I lived in Cary for many years but recently moved to Holly Springs. You can read why I made the move here. You might also want to see how Cary stacks up against other Triangle towns by looking at our Cary vs Wake Forest post, our Cary vs Fuquay post, or our Cary vs Raleigh post.

Living in Cary NC: Desirable Location

Historically, Cary has had the highest median home price in the Triangle, although sometimes Holly Springs and Chapel Hill compete with Cary for that title. The reason it is so popular is because the location really can’t be beat. It is about 17 minutes drive from downtown Cary to downtown Raleigh. Cary shares a border with Research Triangle Park. Some locations are even walkable to RTP, but just about any Cary address is going to be a very easy commute to the Park.

Cary is also very convenient to the Raleigh Durham International Airport, known here as RDU. RDU is one of the nicest airports I have visited. In relation to North Carolina’s attractions, Cary is about 2 hours from Wrightsville Beach, which is the closest beach.

And Cary is about 3 hours from Boone which are surrounded by the closest mountains. If you need some beautiful views but don’t want to drive 3 hours, Hanging Rock State Park is part of a much lower mountain range that is only 2 hours from Cary. it’s about 2500 feet about sea level, compared to the 3500 or so feet you’ll find in Boone, and feels more hilly than mountainy, but it can definitely do in a time crunch.  

Living in Cary NC: Jobs & Economy

Cary got its start as a bedroom community for Research Triangle Park and Raleigh and at one point most people commuted outside of Cary for work. But today Cary is an economic hub itself, with employers like software company SAS, Metlife and Epic Games all headquartered in Cary.  Living in Cary no longer means that you have to commute elsewhere for employment. Cary really does fit the “live-work-play” moniker nowadays.

You will want to check out our post about why Forbes Ranked Cary the best place to live in the country. Or you can watch the video!

Living in Cary NC: Events and Festivals

There is always something happening in Cary! The event calendar is full of music, seasonal events and multicultural events. And development within the town continues to grow as the town builds more infrastructure to support it. Popular places for Cary events are Bond Park, the Koka Booth Amphitheatre, Downtown Cary and the Cary Arts Center. The new Fenton development and the Downtown Cary Park (when it reopens after construction) and the Cary Sports Complex will offer even more opportunities for festivals and events in Cary. 

Living in Cary NC: Weather

How you feel about the weather in Cary really depends upon where you’re moving here from. The heat and humidity in the summer are nowhere near as bad as Texas or Florida and nowhere near as nice as southern California. Generally speaking, the weather is nice enough year round to get outside and enjoy the outdoors.

July and August tend to be very hot and humid, but then it cools down in September and the weather is nice again. I have visited my sister in central Florida during the summer and it is much hotter and more humid there than it is here. And she lives near the coast so she does get the coastal breeze.

Winters here are mild and we get very little winter precipitation. However, you should be aware that when we do get an occasional winter storm, they tend to come in the form of ice or sleet rather than snow. And because of this, roads become treacherous and schools will usually be canceled. This is infrequent and doesn’t even happen every year, but when it does it’s good to be aware and prepared with enough food to get through a day or two of being shut in the house. 

Living in Cary NC: Lifestyles

Family Life in Cary NC

Cary is a very family friendly area. There is so much to do year round with kids of all ages. For younger kids there are indoor play spaces like Notasium, Little Gym, Over the Moon, and Bumble Brews. And when the weather is nice, there are some incredible outdoor playgrounds like Kids Together and Lazy Days at Bond Park. Older kids can enjoy classes and the incredible camps that have flourished due to our year round schools option.

Places like Engineering for Kids, Mad Science and the Town of Cary run camps throughout the year for all kinds of family schedules. Speaking of the Town of Cary, the programming is absolutely incredible. From Daddy-daughter dances to family friendly concert series, to youth choirs and theater groups, your family will never be bored! You can check out the most recent program guide here. 

Retirement in Cary NC

There are numerous retirement communities in Cary. Retirees are drawn to Cary by the beautiful weather and the active lifestyle. Even if you don’t choose to live in a 55+ community, there is so much within the town of Cary to do, that you’ll find ways to make friend and to get connected within the community.

The Cary Senior Center is a hub for local retirees looking for social activities and events. They have senior classes like sailing, performing arts classes and fitness classes all geared toward older adults. They also offer day trips and various services for seniors, including door to door transportation services. You can find more information about retiring in Cary, North Carolina here. 

Different Parts of Cary NC

Even though Cary doesn’t have a huge population, it is still fairly spread out. So different parts of the city might be more appealing to different people depending on your lifestyle and where you might be commuting to. You will definitely want to check out my video about the different parts of Cary!

West Cary

West Cary borders on the Chatham County line. If you have children, you should be aware that some of the housing with a Cary address in west Cary is located in Chatham County and is zoned to Chatham County Schools. The schools have good reviews, but be aware that Chatham is a much more rural county and depending on where the property is that you’re looking for, you could end up in a school that is very far from your home.

For example, some homes in Amberly are 13 miles from the zoned elementary school, North Chatham Elementary. However, not all homes in Amberly are zoned to Chatham County schools. It’s just something to take note of if you’re looking for a home in west Cary. 

West Cary is a great location for people looking to be convenient to Research Triangle Park, and most other parts of Durham. West Cary is very walkable with incredible greenway trails throughout. This area also has the most new construction that you’ll find in Cary and overall the age of the homes is much younger than other parts of Cary.  

Downtown Cary

People living in Downtown Cary enjoy the feel of a small town community with the amenities of a city right around the corner. Living in areas that are walkable to downtown Cary is very coveted and homes in this area can command higher prices. The hub of the downtown Cary area sits at the corner of Dry Avenue and Academy Street, where the library complex, the downtown Cary Park and the Cary Arts Center meet.

The arts center is a multi story historic building filled with classes, events and equipment like a clay and ceramics studio and a metalworks and jewelry studio. The downtown park is almost completed and will be a world class outdoor community space unlike anything currently in North Carolina.    

East Cary

East Cary has been an underdeveloped area for a long time. But the location is incredible, bordering on Raleigh and just 15 minutes from downtown Raleigh. But also most of this area is walkable to downtown Cary and all the shopping and restaurants in the area. Popular locations in east Cary are Fenton, Wakemed Soccer Park, Triangle Aquatic Center and, when completed, Epic Games headquarters will reside at the heart of east Cary in the old Cary Mall. 

South Cary

South Cary runs south of the US 1 Corridor and along Kildaire Farm Road and Tryon Road areas. This area is where many of the early planned communities and estates were built back in the 1970s through 1990s. The golf communities of Macgregor Downs Lochmere are widely popular. Popular amenities in south Cary include the Koka Booth Amphitheatre, Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve, Waverly Place and Macgregor Village.

Living in Cary NC: Real Estate Market

The Cary real estate market has been competitive since long before the pandemic. When looking back since 2016, Cary has always had more showings for every listing compared to the entire region and compared to other nearby towns. 

And if you look at the most recent data, November 2022, you can see that Cary, the teal line, saw an uptick in showings when other towns were still trending down. Buying a home in Cary is a smart real estate decision. If you’d like to follow my market updates on the blog, you can register here. 

But even though Cary is regularly listed as one of the best small cities in the country, the question many ask is whether it is still worth it. We try to answer that question here (and you can watch the video here), but ultimately YOU will have to answer that question for yourself. But don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you need some help deciding!

You might find this recent blog post about the CRAZY increase in the average price of a Cary Home interesting (2023).

Living in Cary NC: Food

Cary has a large Asian population and that culture is apparent in the food choices in Cary. Asian and Indian restaurants are common and there are also multiple Chinese and Indian grocery stores in the city. Cary has tons of unique restaurants and bars throughout the city.  Popular spots are Kababish, Bond Brothers, Hanks Downtown Dive, and there is a whole shopping center filled with tons of cuisines from around the world in East Cary at the corner of Chatham and Maynard. It’s not much to look at, but this is where immigrants come and open up shop with foods from Nepal, Jamaica, the Middle East and India. 

I almost forgot about the food trucks! One of the reasons many just love living in Cary is the food trucks that make the trip to the brewery even better. Take a look at our take on why everyone wants to live in Cary here, or again, you can watch the video here.

Living in Cary NC: Outdoors 

Nowhere in the Triangle beats Cary for the parks and greenways throughout the town. The town of Cary currently maintains 85 miles of greenways and over 3000 acres of parks and open space. There are small parks tucked into little corners throughout the town but the most popular ones are Bond Park, North Cary Park, Thomas Brooks Park, Cary Tennis Park, Marla Dorrel Park and Sk8 Cary at Godbold Park. Many of these parks host classes and events put on by the Town of Cary.  Just north of Cary is Umstead Park, a 5599 acre state park with numerous trails, boat rentals, picnicking and camping available.

Living in Cary NC: Shopping

There are several major shopping centers in Cary and too many minor ones to list them. One thing Cary is known for is it’s bougie grocery stores. Many high end stores are represented in Cary like Whole Foods, Wegmans and North Carolina’s homegrown upscale store brand, Harris Teeter. Many of the stores have wine bars, breweries or coffee bars inside the store. There are also several trendy discount grocery lines in Cary: Trader Joe’s, Aldi and Lidl. 

Parkside Town Commons 

Parkside is in west Cary and is the largest shopping center in this area, although it is rather limited in stores. It has a Target, a movie theater and a Hobby Lobby and other minor shops and restaurants. If you need any major shopping you’ll have to go to either the Streets of Southpoint in Durham or Parkwest Village in Cary/Morrisville which has more selection. 

Park West Village 

Park West Village is technically in Morrisville, but just over the Cary Town limits.  (I always thought it was Cary!) It has all the big box stores as well as a handful of traditional mall stores. You’ll find Loft, White House Black Market, Chicos, Carters, Michaels, Homegoods and a large selection of popular stores. There is also a large movie theater. What you won’t find, is men’s clothing stores.

If you’re looking for men’s clothing stores you have to go into Raleigh to find them at either North Hills or Crabtree Mall. I find that remarkably weird that a city with almost 200,000 people in it is so lacking in men’s clothing stores. There are a couple of boutique men’s stores in Saltbox Village and Macgregor Village. But of course that doesn’t lend itself well to couples shopping. End rant. 

Crossroads Shopping Center

Crossroads is the oldest large shopping center in Cary, and its central location means it’s still the go-to shopping spot for many who live in Cary. Other retail spaces surround Crossroads proper so if box stores are what you need, this is your place.  Of course with the box stores come the chain restaurants, but there are a few local establishments in this area as well.  There is also a movie theater and several hotels within walking distance of it all.  So if you are needing to stay in Cary and want quick access to food, shopping, and movies, again, this is your place.

Waverly Place 

Waverly Place sits just north of Lochmere Subdivision and the Lochmere Country Club.  It houses the Whole Foods on the east side of Cary (there’s a Whole Foods on the west side as well).  But what really sets this shopping center apart from others is the greenspace and water features built into it.  There is a playground, fountains, and waterfalls surrounding a grassy courtyard with balconies all around.  Events and mini-concerts take place here.