The thriving community of Cary

Ralph Ashworth still remembers when Cary had just one stoplight. From his downtown corner drugstore, he has watched for more than five decades the once sleepy railroad town grow into the seventh largest city in the state. Yet, despite all the hustle and bustle of today, Cary still retains its original small town charm, according to the longtime proprietor of Ashworth’s drugstore. And it is this close-knit community appeal that continues to draw families to Cary in record numbers.

“While Cary has seen tremendous growth, it still has a welcoming attitude and warm atmosphere,” says Ashworth. “We have had a lot of good things happen here, but a lot of people have worked hard to keep the town a very special place.”

A lot has changed in Cary since it was incorporated in 1871, several years after the Seaboard and North Carolina railroads formed a junction west of Raleigh. With the development of the Research Triangle Park in the 1960s, subdivisions started sprouting up where dairy cows once grazed. Industry soon followed and national retailers discovered the town.

Through the years, Cary has been best known for its record growth. With a population of 3,356 in 1960, the town today is home to more than 120,000. In the 1970s, the town’s population more than tripled and then more than doubled in the 1980s and 1990s. Now, the majority of the growth is toward the west along N.C. 55 with new subdivisions and shopping centers continuing to flourish.

One of the most notable views in downtown Cary is a mural that stretches 150 feet long along the wall of an old grocery store and displays a visual history. When one visits the intersection of West Chatham Street and Harrison Avenue in the old downtown area, it is hard not to miss this mural that is rightly named “Cary, Then and Now.” 

This mural, created by Cary native Val Fox, displays all of the important history of Cary including the railroad, the progression of education, Band day, Cary sports, the original Kildaire Dairy Farm, and of course Ashworth’s drug store. The project was completed in 2003 and took over eight months to complete.

For Mayor Ernie McAlister, the challenge continues to be working to manage the town’s growth while maintaining the special qualities that draw newcomers to Cary. “Cary has had excellent leaders with a clear vision that have shaped the town into the award-winning community it is today,” he says. “We now need to work hard to respect and maintain this vision while the town continues to grow.”

Cary has earned numerous accolades for its quality of life. In August 2006, it was recognized by Money Magazine as one of the best small cities in America, ranking fifth on the magazine’s 2006 list of Best Places to Live. It also was ranked as the eighth safest of 371 large cities in 2006 and among the top places in the nation to begin or expand a business.

“Some of the town’s earliest neighborhoods still flourish today. MacGregor Downs, Kildaire Farms, Regency Park, Lochmere and Preston developments all helped transform the once small community into a town well known for its careful planning and quality development,” says McAlister.



Cary Mayor Ernie McAlister

Cary has grown tremendously in the last ten years and is a very desirable place to live in the Triangle area. The development and organization of the growth of this area has been very strict to keep the quality of the area very high. What makes this town different from other Triangle towns is the zoning and building regulations, which give the town added value.  The estimated median Cary house/condo value in 2005 was $238,800, which is a bit higher than the neighboring towns of Apex and Holly Springs. As the area continues to develop, homebuyers will find a variety of homes in different and distinct styles of communities.

One of the largest new developments in Cary today is Amberly, a 1,100-acre master planned community straddling the border of Wake and Chatham counties. Amberly, Wake County’s best selling community in 2006, is located just off NC 55 and now intersects with the newly open I-540.

“Amberly is designed to provide residents of all ages with the most comprehensive and fulfilling lifestyle available in the Triangle,” says Bob Jones, general manager of Amberly and GS Carolina’s Raleigh division. “It incorporates a natural setting featuring miles of greenways and trails, future retail and commercial areas and a wide variety of homes.”

Carolina Preserve, the first Del Webb active adult community in North Carolina, welcomed its first residents in November, 2006. Located in Amberly, the 341-acre community will have 1,300 single-family and villa style homes when completed.

The average age of the first residents is 62. About half of the residents are still employed and 40 percent are from North Carolina, while  many are moving from Florida, New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland.

Cary is home to KB Home’s Twin Lakes, (pictured to the left) the first Martha Stewart-branded project in the nation. Stewart even attended the grand opening in March ‘06. It will include 767 individual homes – 367 single-family homes and 400 townhomes.

“Cary remains one of the most attractive sub-markets in the Triangle,” says Trish Hanchette, president of the Raleigh-Durham division of KB Home. “We are providing innovative and distinctive homes because we believe these settings offer wonderful, livable communities with excellent amenities and easy access to the high-growth job centers of the Triangle.”

KB Homes also is developing Washington Square, a townhouse community in Amberly.
 
Also located in west Cary are three communities being developed by McCar Homes, including Weston Place, Carramore and The Legacy at Carpenter Village. “All of our locations in Cary are convenient to the Research Triangle Park, schools, parks and retail and commercial sites,” says Bob Kosnik, division vice president for McCar Homes. “We are really offering a unique lifestyle in Cary.” Upscale living is being offered in two other new Cary communities.
 
Balmoral at MacGregor, a luxury townhome community located overlooking the 13th green at MacGregor Downs Country Club, is opening its second phase.

“Balmoral at MacGregor offers the perfect balance of timeless elegance with convenience to upscale retail stores, fine dining establishments and top medical facilities,” says Debbie Houston, president of Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston Builder Services. “We are excited to announce the opening of Phase II.”

Renaissance at Regency is offering three upscale communities on 165 acres in Regency Park located off Tryon Road.

“Renaissance at Regency is ideally situated in Cary with great views of the Symphony Lake,” says Henry MacNair, president of Premiere Homes. “Our neighborhoods are featuring Old World architecture with classic styles.”

The location of Cary in the Triangle area is ideal to live in.  Cary is located off-center of the Triangle, making it a convenient drive to Research Triangle Park, downtown Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. 

As for transportation, Cary has one convenience that not all the other Triangle communities have – an Amtrak station.  Cary became a stop on the railroad in the 1850’s and still remains a stop today.  The station, located on North Academy Street, can go to a number of cities in the United States stretching as far north as Bangor, ME and as far west as Los Angeles, CA, with a few connection cities in between.

While many new neighborhoods are being developed in Cary, world-class businesses continue to attract to the growing region. The town’s largest employer is SAS Institute, Inc., the largest privately-held software company in the world. Other widely known companies in Cary are MCI WorldCom, IBM, American Airlines Reservation Center, Siemens, John Deere and Cotton Inc.

Education always has been an important part of Cary. In 1907, Cary established the first public high school in North Carolina on the site of the current Cary Elementary School. The town plans to use the former main building at the downtown school as part of a cultural and performing arts center.

Playing in Cary is fun for its many residents. The town has more than 20 public parks, 20 miles of trails and numerous cultural arts programs during the year.    The Koka Booth Amphitheater at Regency Park serves as the summer home of the N.C. Symphony and has become a popular concert destination year-round. Concerts and cultural events are regularly held at the Page-Walker Arts and History Center located on the Town Hall campus.

The Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival is one of the top rated one-day festivals in the nation, drawing an estimated 60,000 people to downtown Cary the last Saturday in August. Hemlock Bluffs Nature Park, Bond Park, public skate park and the dog park also are other popular attractions.

In recent years, Cary has become a popular destination for amateur sporting events. SAS Soccer Park is the home of the professional men’s soccer team, the Carolina Railhawks. The USA Baseball’s National Olympic Training Center at Thomas Brooks Park was completed this summer and the town hosted the PONY National Fastpitch Softball Tournament.

The Cary Tennis Park, with its 30 courts, was awarded the United States Tennis Association’s Outstanding Tennis Facility of the Year in 2006. And at three championship courses at Prestonwood Country Club, MacGregor Downs Country Club and Lochmere Golf Club are also home to Cary.

For Ralph Ashworth, whose family still owns the downtown corner drugstore, all these special amenities continue to make Cary a great place to call home.

 

Koka Booth Amphitheater at Regency Park  

“When we bought the drugstore in 1957, I certainly never imagined that Cary would become the town it is today,” he says. “I think we all can be proud of it.”

Jane paige is a Freelance Writer