Cary, North Carolina is located in Wake County in the heart of the Triangle area of North Carolina. Nearby Research Triangle Park has repeatedly ranked among the top regions in the country to live, work, find a home, start a business, raise a family or retire.

Cary was named for Samuel Fenton Cary, a temperance leader and Union general from Ohio.   Cary has had settlers in the area since the mid 1700’s, and can trace its beginnings to the 1854 purchase of 300 acres for $2000 by Allison Francis (Frank) Page. Cary’s present area is 42 square miles.

Frank Page came along just as the State-owned North Carolina Railroad arrived. In 1858, a second rail line, The Chatham, came to this location; and Frank Page built the Page Hotel immediately north of the railroad tracks.

Cary, NC was incorporated in 1871. By 1880, Cary’s population had grown to 316. In 1979, the Page-Walker Hotel was listed on the National Register for Historic Places. A citizens group, Friends of the Page-Walker Hotel, joined with the Town of Cary in 1985 to restore the building as an arts and history center. Today, the center is alive with classes, events, performances, meetings and receptions, and the gallery exhibitions feature works of local and regional artists.

One son of Frank Page, Walter Hines Page, became one of “North Carolina’s most distinguished citizens”. In addition to many other great achievements, Walter Hines Page was a leader in the establishment of the school known today as North Carolina State University.

Cary, North Carolina is home to 94,536 people (2000 Census), and has an estimated 2003 population of 99,824. Home ownership in Cary is at an enviable 72.8%, and this diversified city boasts 43 restaurants in the town of Cary itself.

Cary, NC hosts a number of manufacturers including one large internationally known firm, Caterpillar, Inc. “Cat” employs the bulk of the 8,449 persons employed in the manufacturing sector in Cary.

Cary has 22 public and private schools from Kindergarten through Senior High School and boasts access to many well known schools of higher education, such as the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, Duke University in Durham, North Carolina State University in Raleigh, and the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in nearby Wake Forest, NC.

Public art is a cultural resource and a source of community pride in Cary, NC. Pieces of art have been placed throughout Cary through the efforts of the Cultural Arts Division of the Cary Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department and Cary Visual Art.

Cary, North Carolina’s residents delight in their local entertainment and their myriad recreational facilities. Cary’s own version of the marathon is the Cary Road race. Cary hosts the NCAA and ACC Soccer Championships and the North Carolina Junior State Tennis Tournament. Seasonal activities and those slated especially for teens abound. The commitment to sports with 55 hard surfaced tennis courts is only the beginning. The town sponsored adult and youth sports leagues are filled with special events and beneficial clinics year around. Two Art Centers, four Community Centers, twenty-one open park facilities with various amenities and six Special Use Facilities that include a Dog Park and Skateboard Park exemplify the local commitment.

Cary, NC won the title of the ninth safest of 354 large cities nationally (2004). Cary’s Police and Fire departments and Emergency Medical Services are nationally accredited. Yet, Cary remains the “Town of Cary”, with a monthly newsletter, “BUD”, mailed to utility customers as well as a Weekend Update on the ‘net for its citizens.