Starting with the Pros, Pro #4 is Cary has amazing shopping centers and entertainment areas. 

PRO #4 – Shopping Centers / Entertainment

Cary has some AMAZING shopping centers and entertainment venues, and just continues to expand.  These shopping centers have your typical stores, but many are expanding with local vendors and boutiques, and also come complete with movie theaters and open areas for events.

Cary Crossroads has been around for quite some time and has just about everything you need, while Waverley Place has such a cool design and outdoor space.  Park West is an expansive shopping center that has apartment style living above restaurants and shops, and Fenton is a brand new shopping center that features many unique offerings and plans to host many events.

Cary also has Koka Booth Amphitheater, which is an outdoor space that features concerts from some of the biggest names in the industry, but also plays host to the NC Symphony summer series, and many other local events.  The famous Chinese Lantern Festival is held here as well, and always draws a massive crowd.

Moving on, Pro #3 to living in Cary NC is all about Location!

PRO #3 – Location

Short of some areas in Raleigh, Cary is arguably situated in the BEST area of the triangle!  While Cary is fairly expansive, the northern and western edges are located right next to RTP, so it’s a pretty convenient commute for those working in that area.

Besides RTP, you’re located 20 minutes or less from many of Raleigh’s largest attractions, like downtown, North Hills, and Crabtree Valley Mall, but you’re also a short drive to Durham and Chapel Hill, and can easily take advantage of the best parts of neighboring Apex and Holly Springs.

The RDU International airport is just 20 minutes or less away as well, and like the rest of the triangle, your only 3 hours or less from both the beach AND the mountains.

Cary is situated next some of the BEST parks in the area as well, like Crabtree Lake, Umstead Park, and Jordan Lake.  More on that in a bit.

Next up, Pro #2 of living in Cary NC, Cary is VERY Family Oriented.

PRO #2 – Family Friendly

Cary is not only known to be one of the top places around the area to raise a family, but has national recognition as Forbes has previously named it the BEST place in the nation to raise a family.  

Starting off with one of the most important factors, Cary is consistently one of the safest cities in America, as it was named as the #1 safest place to live in the country by homes.com and is also among the top in most polls.  It is very rare to hear about crime in Cary, and it’s even more rare to hear about any violent crimes.  Don’t speed though, police are everywhere!

The schools in Cary are great, and many people move here to get into some of the more coveted schools.  From elementary up through high school, there are plenty great options to go around.  

There are also some excellent private schools, like Cary Academy, that do a great job preparing students for college.  And speaking of college, Cary is right next to some of the TOP universities in the nation with NC State, Duke and UNC.

Cary also its’ fair share of family friendly events and outdoor spaces for families to enjoy.  Many of the previously mentioned shopping centers and venues have events and summer series that are great for kids, but one of the best attributes for everyone, not just families, is Cary’s AMAZING park system.

So that brings us to our #1 Pro about living in Cary NC, its’ Parks!

PRO #1 – Park System

Cary clearly takes lot of pride in their park system, as it is unbelievable expansive and top notch.  It’s also a big reason why it’s been ranked among the top 5 happiest cities and best overall places to live in the US.  It has over 80, yes 80 miles, of paved paths in their greenway systems, and overall has over 30 parks totaling over 2700 acres of natural area.  Those are massive numbers for a town the size of Cary.  Everywhere you turn, there is a park or greenway ready to be enjoyed.

The greenways are beautiful and string throughout the city, and run through many of the best parks.  Lake Crabtree Park is a local favorite, where it has a massive lake with trails all around it, which includes miles of mountain bike trails complete with a skills course that my husband loves.  The lake also has kayak, canoe and sunfish rentals in the summer months.

Cary’s 34 parks also include many amazing spaces for kids.  North Cary Park, Jack Smith Park and Marla Dorrel Park are three just to name a few that have creative and fun playgrounds for the kids, and several have spray grounds for the summer months as well. 

And attention disc golf lovers, the Diavolo Disc Golf course at New Hope is named one of the world’s best courses, it’s a must try for those who love the sport!

I could talk forever about how amazing the park system is in Cary, but it’s time to move on to some topics that people in Cary complain about.

Starting with #4, Cary does have an overall small city vibe.

Con #4 – Small City Feel

This can be a pro for many people, but Cary has a smaller town feel overall.  Many people would say Cary has the pace of a larger city, as many people live in Cary and work in RTP and Raleigh, but if you’re looking for a large city feel right in your backyard, Cary doesn’t quite have that.  

There are no major sporting events in Cary outside the NCFC and Carolina Courage soccer teams as well as the USA baseball training complex, but you are close to the PNC Arena where the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes play, and not too far from the Triple AAA Durham Bulls baseball stadium.  

Downtown Cary does not feature any major developments, with most buildings 3 stories or less; however, it is an incredibly cute space that has local breweries, restaurants, and the Cary Theatre.  The downtown Cary Farmer’s market is a fun event as well.

Moving into a hot topic for many families is Con #3, Cary is subject to schools capping.

Con #3 – Capped Schools

A common complaint heard from people moving to Cary is that they chose a specific neighborhood for a specific school, and move in to find out that school is capped.  What does that mean?

Every neighborhood is assigned a base public school to attend.  If that base school reaches capacity, any new residents moving into the area would be assigned to an overflow school.  While Wake County tries its’ best to minimize impact, sometimes this results in your child attending a school that is less convenient location wise or rated differently than your base school.

With the popularity of Cary, there has been a large influx of new residents over the recent years, and people target the neighborhoods with the best schools.  Some of these schools have reach capacity, and require the overflow school to be utilized.  

Now, this is something you can find out BEFORE you move into an area, so make sure you do your research.  This is also something our team at the W Real Estate Group can help you with.

The discussion on the popularity of Cary leads us into our next topic, Con #2 of living in Cary NC, is it’s subject to traffic pain.

Con #2 – Traffic

Now let’s not get carried away, Cary’s traffic is nothing compared to larger cities like Atlanta and DC, but the traffic is getting worse.  Situated adjacent to I-40, which is the main highway used to access RTP, you don’t want to find yourself stuck in the rush hour traffic.

Also, US-1 running east to west is another highway that can get crowded during rush hour, as much of Cary, Apex, Holly Springs, and other towns to the west use this highway to commute into Raleigh.

Generally speaking, the whole area is growing and expanding, and the once small, quiet town of Cary has turned into Raleigh’s largest suburb by a long shot and naturally, traffic and crowding follow that.  But, Cary has stayed in front of the issue and it’s not too noticeable if you’re smart about when you travel.

Moving onto the most complained about aspect of living in Cary NC, is it’s expensive!

Con #1 Expensive

The cost of living in Cary NC is known to be expensive, and in general, is known to offer a little more upscale style of living.  It has many high end neighborhoods complete with top notch amenities and golf courses.  Between the amazing neighborhood and its’ prime location, housing prices are among the most expensive in the area.

The average housing price in Cary has been averaging in the mid-600ks during the summer months, with an average price per square foot of around $250. Those are the highest numbers in the triangle.

However, once you get past the housing costs, the cost of living in Cary NC for most other goods and services are no more in Cary than any other place in the area, and actually, Cary’s taxes are among the lowest of all the suburbs.

If you are willing to pay the extra cost of living in Cary NC, you won’t be disappointed, as Cary residents absolutely love all the amenities and things to do that Cary offers.  

I hope this blog gave you a feel for the best and the worst parts of Cary!  For more information on the area, check out our blogs on everything you need to know about Cary, the best neighborhoods in Cary NC, and the top things to do in Cary NC.

If you need help finding your next home, whether it’s in Cary or anywhere else in the triangle, our team here at the W Real Estate Group is here to guide you every step of the way!  

Please reach out via our contact information below:

Phone:  919-504-5265

Email:  Alison@thewgroupraleigh.com

Website:  www.thewgroupraleigh.com