Watch This BEFORE Moving To Cary, NC - Moving to Raleigh, NC
Are you considering relocating to the Raleigh area and wondering if Cary is the right place for you and your family? As one of the fastest-growing cities in the South and home to just over 181,000 residents, Cary stands as the largest suburb in Raleigh. Over the years, it has consistently ranked as one of the top places to live in America, one of the best places to raise a family, and one of the safest places to call home.
Many people are drawn to Cary because it's centrally located with easy access to everything. You can reach downtown Raleigh in about 15 minutes, and you're close to some of the top universities in the country, including NC State, UNC Chapel Hill, and Duke University. With over 200 restaurants, great shopping, booming businesses, entertainment options, and a wide variety of outdoor activities, there's certainly a lot to love about this community.
However, like any place, Cary has both advantages and drawbacks that you should consider before making your move. Let me share the real pros and cons that I hear from clients who've made Cary their home, as well as those who thought they wanted to live here but ultimately decided it wasn't the right fit.
The Major Advantages of Living in Cary
Prime Location and Accessibility
Cary enjoys a prime location west of Raleigh, positioned next to the famous Research Triangle Park (RTP). This positioning puts you close to all the amenities and top job opportunities the area has to offer. The town has easy access to I-40, which connects you to RTP as well as providing routes to the beach or mountains, both approximately 2 to 3 hours away. Cary is also next to I-540, the outer loop that takes you into North Raleigh and Durham.
Here's an interesting fact about Cary's development: prior to being built up, it was essentially a small bedroom community where people who worked in Research Triangle Park would sleep at night. The city was very well planned out, which explains why it has such an efficient roadway system and is so easy to navigate from place to place.
Thriving Job Market
Cary is home to major employers like SAS and Epic Games, the company that created the popular Fortnite game. The proximity to RTP, which employs over 60,000 people across more than 375 companies, provides incredible career opportunities. RTP houses top companies like IBM, Cisco, Lenovo, and Apple, just to name a few. Raleigh was even ranked fifth in the US job market according to WalletHub, making this an excellent area for career growth.
Outstanding Schools
Cary is part of the Wake County School District, which ranks among the top school districts in North Carolina. The district is recognized for having the best teachers and excellent athletic programs, earning an A rating according to Niche.com. This is a major reason why so many families with children want to live in Cary. The area is also close to nationally ranked top universities, with three major institutions within the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area. Duke University was ranked 10th in National Universities in 2022, while the other two are ranked in the top 100.
Incredible Outdoor Spaces
Cary offers fantastic outdoor recreation with over 35 Greenway trails covering more than 70 miles and 34 parks totaling 2,700 acres. The town has multiple lakes, including Bond Park and Lake Crabtree Park where you can swim or paddle boat, while Jordan Lake and Harris Lake provide options for boating. The American Tobacco Trail runs right through Cary, connecting to an even larger network of recreational opportunities.
The downtown area has undergone a spectacular $68 million transformation that includes new structures, apartments, a park with a splash pad for kids, a bark yard for dogs, quiet spaces, and botanical gardens. The town's goal is to blend old with new as they continue to grow, with plans to expand another 28 acres within the downtown area.
Diverse Amenities and Entertainment
When it comes to food, Cary offers an incredibly diverse selection ranging from Southern comfort food to Indian cuisine, Italian, Mexican fusion, and much more. For sports lovers, you're a short distance from seeing soccer games, baseball games with the Durham Bulls, or heading to Raleigh's PNC Arena for concerts or Carolina Hurricanes hockey games. The area is also home to the USA Baseball National Training Complex, the North Carolina Football Club for soccer, and the North Carolina Courage pro soccer team.
During summer, you can enjoy the North Carolina Symphony at Koka Booth Amphitheatre, which provides an amazing outdoor experience. The town hosts wonderful festivals throughout the year, from arts and crafts events to summer outdoor concerts. One of our family favorites is the Winter Wonderland at Bond Park, where they bring in snow and kids can slide down hills in inner tubes. The North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival is absolutely magical, featuring illuminated displays of dragons, flowers, butterflies, pandas, and other creatures. Last year, this festival broke records with over 200,000 visitors.
The Potential Drawbacks to Consider
Higher Cost of Living
Cary is one of the most expensive suburbs in the Triangle area. In mid-2023, the median house price was approximately $725,000, while townhomes had a median price of about $484,500. To put this in perspective, the median single-family home price in the rest of the Triangle (Durham, Orange, and Wake Counties) is approximately $525,000, with townhomes at a median of $365,000. Not only is it expensive to live in Cary, but it's also very competitive to purchase a home. Even with shifting market conditions and higher interest rates, homes in Cary remain in high demand, and we're still seeing multiple offers and over-asking prices on many properties.
Limited New Construction Options
You'll find very limited new construction in Cary since this suburb was really built up in the 1950s and 1960s. While you can still find some new construction single-family homes, condos, and townhomes, they come at a premium. In mid-2023, the median price for a new construction townhome was approximately $565,000, while new construction single-family homes had a median price point of about $1.3 million. There simply isn't much land left to be developed in Cary, so most new construction happens on the west side rather than the east side. One downside for those living on the west side is that it's farther from downtown Cary and the main shopping areas.
Different Feel from Traditional Southern Towns
Some people comment that Cary feels more like a big town even though it has a relatively small downtown area. It lacks the small Southern charm feel that other suburbs in the area offer. However, this can be a positive depending on your perspective. Many of my clients who relocate here from places like California, New York, Florida, Connecticut, and New Jersey really appreciate the busier, bigger feeling and say it reminds them of home on a much smaller scale.
Interestingly, roughly only about 30% of people who live in Cary are actually from here originally. Everyone else has moved from another state, which makes it easy to make friends since you'll have the common experience of being transplants.
Weather Considerations
You'll experience four seasons in Cary, but the weather can be a pro or con depending on your perspective. Summers are definitely hot and humid, usually averaging between 80 to 90 degrees, though this past summer we reached up to 100 degrees. If you're coming from the West Coast where you have dry heat, the humidity will feel much more suffocating and wet. It took us about two summers before we really felt acclimated to the climate.
Spring and fall are absolutely beautiful, though you'll need to prepare for pollen season, which creates a yucky yellow film everywhere and can trigger allergies you didn't even know you had. Winters are pretty mild, with temperatures dropping anywhere from the 30s to the 50s, and we can still see 70-degree days in midwinter. There's a running joke that you can experience all four seasons in one day.
Snow is possible but rare, averaging about one to two times per year, and it usually doesn't stick. In our six years here, we've only had snow that actually stuck for a few days twice. Be prepared for the local reaction to snow forecasts though – even if there's just a possibility of snow in the next week or two, grocery stores will be completely wiped out of milk and bread.
We average 47 inches of rainfall per year, which is why everything is so lush and beautiful here. Sometimes the rain comes quickly and intensely, making driving visibility quite challenging, but it often clears up just as fast as it arrives.
Making Your Decision
If you're looking for a lifestyle with prime location, top-rated schools, beautiful parks, and excellent amenities, Cary may be the perfect place for you to call home. The combination of career opportunities, educational excellence, outdoor recreation, and community amenities creates a quality of life that attracts people from all over the world.
However, it's important to consider whether the higher cost of living, limited new construction options, and more suburban feel align with your preferences and budget. The weather patterns and pollen seasons are also worth factoring into your decision, especially if you're coming from a very different climate.
If you're considering relocating to Cary or anywhere in the Raleigh area and looking to purchase a home, I'd love to help you explore whether this wonderful community might be the right fit for your family. Feel free to call or text me at 919-583-6895, and let's discuss how Cary's unique advantages and considerations align with your lifestyle goals.
Brandy Nemergut
