Cary is the third largest municipality in the North Carolina Triangle, preceded only by Durham and Raleigh. In addition, it is the second largest municipality in Wake County, which is the county where it is found. In all of the state, it is the seventh largest municipality, with a total population of 121,457 as of 2007.



The city of Cary is located near to Raleigh. When it was first settled in 1750, it was named Bradford's Ordinary. The name of Cary wasn't given to the city until over 100 years later when Allison Francis ?Frank? Page and his wife purchased 300 acres of land in the area. He then named his development Cary in honor of a prohibitionist he admired by the name of Samuel Fenton Cary. Page then built a sawmill as well as a general store, a post office, and a hotel. The Town of Cary became officially incorporated in 1871 and Page became its first Mayor.

The median income for households in Cary was $75,122 as of 2007, with the median income for families being $88,074. Males in the Cary have a median income of $62,012 while females have a median income of $38,819.

In addition to enjoying a relatively high median income, many of Cary's residents are well educated. In fact, 68% if those aged 25 years old or older have an associates degree or higher. Over 60% of the residents have a bachelor degree or higher. Furthermore, Cary has the distinction of having the most residents with PhDs per capita for a town with more than 75,000 people.

Cary has a very low crime rate. In fact, it has one of the lowest crime rates within the state of Carolina when compared to other towns of its size. The town continues to grow and, despite its increase in population, still prefers to be referred to as a town rather than a city.