Cary, North Carolina

In the hopscotch square connecting Raleigh and Durham, many families in “The Triangle” elect to call Cary home, and for good reason. Cary is home to an education hub, and not just because Duke, NC State, and UNC are right next door. Cary public and private schools are highly rated, and Cary is consistently ranked one of the safest places to live in the country. With Raleigh and Durham both within driving distance, it’ll take you a while to run out of things to do with the kids as well.

People without kids might be thinking about the driving distance from Raleigh and Durham more than others. There is next to nothing in town in terms of nightlife and entertainment, although most residents in Cary are just fine with that. While a beautiful residential area and arguably one of the best in the state, it’s important to know that it is little more than a residential area before making the move. Young professionals and SINKs and DINKs will likely prefer just living in Raleigh or Durham in the first place.

Cary residents tend to be upper middle class and have a reputation for being transplants from the northeast… whether that’s a good or bad reputation is up for your interpretation. It’s a family town, with friendly people that are often as well-manicured as the area around them. In addition to the family amenities mentioned previously, another major social hub in Cary revolves around the Country Clubs, with some of the best in the nation, and a golf scene that is the stuff of legend. The restaurants and breweries in Cary are also lauded as some of the best in the state.

Check out the calendar of events if you want to see what's happening in Cary.

We highly recommend visiting Cary and staying in the community in a VRBO rather than a hotel to get a feel for what it's like to live among the locals. You can receive discounted fares on travel via our partnership with Expedia as well.

If you’re a family looking for a place to move in the Raleigh/Durham area, Cary should almost certainly be one of your top options. The combination of great safety scores, great public schools, and access to larger cities make Cary a poster child for the stereotypical American Dream.