CARY (and Morrisville)

Population: 136,500

CARY PROFILE/MORRISVILLE PROFILE

In Cary, there’s not much that’s old enough to have a scuff on it. Sprung up from the farmland that still surrounds it, Cary is a city that was built in a hurry but with lots of standards and planning.

LOTS of standards. Everything in Cary looks shiny and new and uniformly pretty. The landscaping along the roads is extensive, lush and always immaculate; the houses and even strip malls are painted soothing, muted colors.  Even the convenience stores and gas stations are attractive. And there is still lots of green on the parkways and in the older neighborhoods -- if not the new ones (it’s going to be a few years before all the saplings dotting all the new construction qualify as “trees”).

Drive around Cary and you will see neighborhood after neighborhood of attractive houses. That’s mostly what Cary is – a collection of nice subdivisions surrounded by nice stores and conveniences. Cary doesn’t have a “bad neighborhood” that you would be afraid to enter. In fact, Cary was rated one of the top 10 “Safest Cities” in the country recently by CNN/Money.com, and they consistently rate it one of the best place to live in the US.

There is no downtown to speak of in this city -- just nice neighborhood after nice neighborhood.

Here’s what you will get in Cary:

Community amenities – many many communities in Cary boast a pool and tennis court, if not a golf course. Many of the bigger neighborhoods offer family social activities, swim teams, “parent’s night out” babysitting service and even summer camps for the kids. Some of these communities have actual country clubs – but many offer country club-like amenities and activities without the big fees.

A great house – If you are from a big city or populous state like CA, FL, IL, NJ or NY, you will be pleasantly shocked at what your money will buy here. There is an almost embarrassing wealth of stunning houses (15 years old or less) that can be had for $400,000 - $800,000 in Cary. Houses with granite counters, custom built-ins, wood floors, multiple fireplaces, crown molding, trey ceilings, and master baths and walk-in closets that make your mouth water.

Great schools – see SCHOOLS

Here’s what you will NOT get in Cary:

A private back yard – These are kind of rare. Notice I did not say there are no “big” back yards – they might be a nice size -- but the average house in Cary has a good view of the deck/back side/back yard of at least two neighboring houses … if not more.

A basement – These are also pretty rare in Cary, because the soil below-ground is clay. Clay holds water very nicely, so almost everything here is built on a slab or crawlspace. But really, who cares? Instead of a basement, almost all recent construction has a “bonus room” – which is extra living space … above ground.

The ability to build your dream house – There are a number of houses still being built in Cary, but the most of those lots are already plotted in a subdivision and owned by a builder. So, you can pick your model (from the ones the builder offers) and the color of your tile and the fixtures you want, but if you want to build something of your own design on your own acre, you’re probably going to have to go further out.

Any “city” or “downtown” feel – I am told that Cary is working very hard to revitalize its original downtown area, and in the seven or eight blocks of "historic downtown Cary" there has a nice Italian restaurant, a good deli and a great old fashioned drugstore called Ashworth’s. But I think it's safe to say that most people who live in Cary have never been there.  Mostly Cary is about chain stores and restaurants.