Cary, North Carolina

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Town of Cary
Nickname: Technology Town of North Carolina[1]
Location of Cary shown within North Carolina
Location of Cary shown within North Carolina
Coordinates: 35°46′44″N 78°48′1″W / 35.77889, -78.80028
Country United States
State North Carolina
Counties Wake, Chatham
Founded 1750
Incorporated April 6, 1871
Government
 - Mayor Harold Weinbrecht
Area
 - Total 43.5 sq mi (112.6 km²)
 - Land 42.1 sq mi (109 km²)
 - Water 1.4 sq mi (3.6 km²)  3.17%
Elevation 480 ft (146 m)
Population (2007)
 - Total 125,460
 - Density 2,246/sq mi (867.2/km²)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP Code 27511-27513, 27518, 27519
Area code(s) 919
FIPS code 37-10740[2]
GNIS feature ID 1019552[3]
The town was named for Samuel Fenton Cary
Website: www.townofcary.org

Cary is the second largest municipality in Wake County, North Carolina and the third largest municipality in The Triangle behind Raleigh and Durham. It is the seventh largest municipality in North Carolina.[4] As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of about 94,536.[5] Town records show a population of 127,640 as of January 1, 2008.[6] Cary is the 8th fastest growing city in the United States according to CNN.[7]

Contents

[edit] Geography

Cary is located at 35°46′44″N, 78°48′1″W (35.778919, -78.800208).[8] It is situated at the heart of North Carolina’s Research Triangle Region. It is 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. [9] 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.[10]

[edit] History

Page-Walker Hotel (now local history museum).
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 300 acres (1.2 km²) surrounding the railroad junction in 1854 and named his development Cary after Samuel Fenton Cary (a former Ohio congressman and prohibitionist he admired). Page became a railroad agent and a town developer. He laid out the first streets in Cary and 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, with Page becoming the first mayor. [11] In 1879, the Raleigh and Augusta Air-Line Railroad (later the Seaboard, now CSX Transportation) 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 (PUD) 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 967-acre (3.9 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. 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.

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census
year		 Population
1940 1,141
1950 1,496 (31%)
1960 3,356 (324%)
1970 7,640 (227%)
1980 21,763 (385%)
1990 43,858 (201%)
2000 94,536 (215%)
2007 125,460(133%)

As of the census[2] 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.[12] 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.[13] For every 100 females there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.

According to a 2006 estimate, the median income for a household in the town was $80,986, and the median income for a family was $96,602.[1] 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.[14] The home ownership rate (owner-occupied housing units to total units) is 72.8%.

In 2001, Town of Cary was declared the fourth safest of 327 large cities in the nation in the 8th Annual Morgan Quitno Safest (And Most Dangerous) City Award. [2]

The town's reputation as a bedroom community for transplants from outside the South has led to backronyms for its name such as "Containment Area for Relocated Yankees." [3] Data from the 2000 Census shows 29.2% of Cary residents are native to North Carolina. 55.2% were born in other states. Additionally, 15.6% of the town population were born outside the United States. [4] One of the major reasons for Cary's popularity is the town's proximity to the Research Triangle Park and the many other localities hosting biotech, pharmaceutical and high tech companies, making it an ideal location for people moving to the Research Triangle area for work.

[edit] Government

Cary Town Hall.
Cary Town Hall.

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 Harold Weinbrecht and Representatives Jennifer Robinson (District A), Don Frantz (District B), Jack W. Smith (District C), Gale Adcock (District D), Erv Portman (at-large), and Julie Aberg Robison (at-large).

On October 9, 2007, Harold Weinbrecht defeated then-mayor Ernie McAlister.[5][6] Citizen concern over the impact rapid growth was having on the town, especially on roads, schools, and the environment, led to McAlister's ouster. [7]

[edit] Mayors

From 1871 to Present

Read left to right.

Name Years Name Years Name Years Name Years
A. F. Page 1871 J. 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 1903
N. C. Hines 1910 J. M. Templeton, Jr. 1912 G. S. Leacock 1914 T. H. Taylor 1916
W. G. Crowder 1916 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 1935-37 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 2007-present

[edit] Business

Cary Chamber of Commerce.
Cary Chamber of Commerce.

Largest Employer in Cary:

  • SAS Institute - Largest privately-held software company in the world

Businesses based in Cary:

[edit] Education

[edit] 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

[edit] Higher education

[edit] 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.
  • Passenger Rail: Silver Star (Amtrak), 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.

[edit] Air

The Raleigh-Durham International Airport, located northwest of downtown Raleigh via Interstate-40 between Raleigh and Durham, serves the city and the greater Research Triangle metropolitan region. It is a focus city for American Airlines and a hub for American Eagle Airlines.

[edit] Major roadways

Main article: North Carolina Highway System

[edit] Recreation

[edit] Events

[edit] Arts and entertainment

[edit] Activities and amenities

[edit] Sister cities

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

Cary is also paired with:

[edit] Residents (former and current)

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Official webpage
  2. ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  4. ^ Guide to Services
  5. ^ Cary (town) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau
  6. ^ About Cary : Overview
  7. ^ The 258 fastest growing U.S. cities - Jun. 27, 2007
  8. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  9. ^ Guide to Services
  10. ^ Guide to Services
  11. ^ About Cary : Looking Back
  12. ^ "Cary By The Numbers", Town of Cary. Retrieved on 2007-04-16. 
  13. ^ "Cary By The Numbers", Town of Cary. Retrieved on 2007-04-16. 
  14. ^ Bourne, Joel. "Suburbia Unbound", National Geographic. Retrieved on 2007-04-16. 

[edit] External links

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