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Every time I see someone mention that Cary is the "rich" or "upscale" part of the Triangle, I just have to laugh. Towns of those descriptions don't have single-wides off the main roads (near DMV), or abandoned buildings near million dollar homes (near Preston). I'm sure I'm jaded from living in CA, but there's just no comparison between somewhere like Cary and somewhere like Los Gatos or Palo Alto in CA.
For us we just felt Apex had more of a small town vibe than Cary did, so we built in Apex. We don't "despise" Cary, but it just felt too manufactured for us.
Being diverse in housing doesn't disqualify an area from being "upscale". While Palo Alto is roughly half the size of Cary, I'd be willing to bet it has a higher foreclosure rate. It doesn't matter why it can't grow, at the end of the day it still can't grow. Being a software developer I love Silicon Valley and similar places for the think tanks they are, but you take the bad with the good... what happens to "Palo Alto upscale" during dotcom busts and global recessions? I'm not saying Cary is immune, but it's diversity which makes it less "upscale" than other places also makes it less susceptible to economic conditions that are killing other communities.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Funky Chicken
Take a ride out to Glen Laurel in Clayton and tell me what you see-plenty of the types of homes that Cary-bashers love to pick on, and they are in JOHNSTON COUNTY! OMG! Cary-itis is spreading! You mean to tell me that people want to live in a nice safe subdivision? You mean to tell me that people want to take pride in their homes? And they really make enough money to afford all of this decadence and luxury? What a horrible disease! I hope someone figures out a way to stop all of this because clearly it is a huge problem that needs to be quarantined.
I will give you an A+ despite the tax thing
Quote:
Originally Posted by ljd1010
That's funny because I live close to the Cary/Apex line and cannot tell the difference between the two.
Parts of Apex do have more of a small town feel, but surprise it is a smaller town! They've done a great job with Salem St. and I'd love it if Cary's downtown were more active in that way. At any rate there are plenty of neighborhoods in Apex that mimic Cary as you said, and there are still rural parts of Cary or places where one can find the quaint small town feel (Carpenter Village, 55, etc.).
Every time I see someone mention that Cary is the "rich" or "upscale" part of the Triangle, I just have to laugh. Towns of those descriptions don't have single-wides off the main roads (near DMV), or abandoned buildings near million dollar homes (near Preston). I'm sure I'm jaded from living in CA, but there's just no comparison between somewhere like Cary and somewhere like Los Gatos or Palo Alto in CA.
For us we just felt Apex had more of a small town vibe than Cary did, so we built in Apex. We don't "despise" Cary, but it just felt too manufactured for us.
Yeah yeah yeah. You know where else has working-class housing near rich mansions? New York. London. And lots of other places that make Los Gatos and Palo Alto look like backwaters.
I joke about it, but really don't hate it, but wouldn't want to live there - it's the containment area. It kinda reminds me of Gitmo - Gitmo is in Cuba but is a US military base - even though it's in Cuba, it's not really Cuba - kinda the same for Cary - it's in NC, but it's not really NC
You mean containment area as in "Containment Area for Relocated Yankees?"
People act as if you drive over the Cary town line and all of a sudden there is some sort of magical transformation that takes place. There are plenty of neighborhoods in North Raleigh, Apex, Wake Forest, Holly Springs, and elsewhere that plug right into the stereotypical assumptions about Cary as well-the things that people hold in contempt about their idea of "Cary" are not exclusive to Cary.
Take a ride out to Glen Laurel in Clayton and tell me what you see-plenty of the types of homes that Cary-bashers love to pick on, and they are in JOHNSTON COUNTY! OMG! Cary-itis is spreading! You mean to tell me that people want to live in a nice safe subdivision? You mean to tell me that people want to take pride in their homes? And they really make enough money to afford all of this decadence and luxury? What a horrible disease! I hope someone figures out a way to stop all of this because clearly it is a huge problem that needs to be quarantined.
Cary is big and varied. It's old and new. It's wealthy, upper middle class, working class, and poor. It's squeaky clean and unkempt. It's suburban and rural. It's yankee and redneck. It's rude and courteous. It is all of these things at the same time. You don't want to live in a beige house with a well-kept lawn? No problem-there is plenty of Cary that does NOT fit into that stereotype.
You can complain all you want about the heavy-handed local government but at the end of the day there are only 6 municipalities in the entire state of North Carolina with a larger population than Cary and in that context I give the town a lot of credit. Its parks, greenways, and municipal services are all exceptional. Cary has a municipal Amphitheater that draws national acts and the NC Symphony. The roads are well maintained and attractive for the most part. All of this takes place with a lower local tax rate than every other Triangle town except Apex.
People act as if you drive over the Cary town line and all of a sudden there is some sort of magical transformation that takes place.
I don't think that's quite it. I think for many of the towns in this area, there are certain attributes and areas within each town that come to define it. It's not that every square inch of the town shares those attributes - it's just that they come to represent the town in most peoples' minds.
For example, when people think of Carrboro - they think of the old mill houses, Weaver Street, and the farmers market, as if that's the entire town. They don't tend to think of large tony subdivisions like Lake Hogan Farms.
Or Chapel Hill - people think of Franklin Street, the university, and the small area of grid streets around them, and don't think much about the other 80% of the town.
Shh....If you despise Cary, they may annex you too. Not all Cary residents choose to live in Cary....which brings this full circle to the Cuba analogy......
too true!!! I get really tired of people saying Morrisville is indistinguishable from Cary. And the constant rumors of annexation by Cary. Tell that to our mayor! When we first moved to the 60 I was horrified, to tell the truth--I grew up in Richmond (NOT the burbs of today but intown), and hoped to live somewhere less....new. But now that we've been here a few years, I love it and wouldn't move to Cary.....except for the school assignment fiasco, it's been ideal.
I don't "hate" Cary and don't especially give a rat's behind about those who do--those are likely the same people that hate everyone who hasn't lived in NC for a few generations or more. I get that--my family's been in VA for 400 years--we were the same way about the Yankees taking over southside (though we didn't want anything to do with that part of town anyway). But I don't care to live amongst that mindset since, well, I'm not from here!
Back in the early 80's, I lived in a silver bullet single-wide just off Maynard St in Downtown Cary. There was no mall across Henry Adams elementary and plenty of open space. My, how times have changed. The mobile home development is now a bunch of offices, but many of my childhood memories are still there. Next time I'm in the area, I will drive by and think back to simpler days and a small town, called Cary.
Before I left, Cary had already transformed itself into a great place to live. Others may complain of McMansions or cookie-cutter houses, but come on, the town is relatively young, really doesn't have a "hood" or bad area, and very clean with nice sense of community. It's a great place to start a family and strong school system. Gee, I wonder why people hate it so much...
People act as if you drive over the Cary town line and all of a sudden there is some sort of magical transformation that takes place. There are plenty of neighborhoods in North Raleigh, Apex, Wake Forest, Holly Springs, and elsewhere that plug right into the stereotypical assumptions about Cary as well-the things that people hold in contempt about their idea of "Cary" are not exclusive to Cary.
Take a ride out to Glen Laurel in Clayton and tell me what you see-plenty of the types of homes that Cary-bashers love to pick on, and they are in JOHNSTON COUNTY! OMG! Cary-itis is spreading! You mean to tell me that people want to live in a nice safe subdivision? You mean to tell me that people want to take pride in their homes? And they really make enough money to afford all of this decadence and luxury? What a horrible disease! I hope someone figures out a way to stop all of this because clearly it is a huge problem that needs to be quarantined.
Cary is big and varied. It's old and new. It's wealthy, upper middle class, working class, and poor. It's squeaky clean and unkempt. It's suburban and rural. It's yankee and redneck. It's rude and courteous. It is all of these things at the same time. You don't want to live in a beige house with a well-kept lawn? No problem-there is plenty of Cary that does NOT fit into that stereotype.
You can complain all you want about the heavy-handed local government but at the end of the day there are only 6 municipalities in the entire state of North Carolina with a larger population than Cary and in that context I give the town a lot of credit. Its parks, greenways, and municipal services are all exceptional. Cary has a municipal Amphitheater that draws national acts and the NC Symphony. The roads are well maintained and attractive for the most part. All of this takes place with a lower local tax rate than every other Triangle town except Apex.
So true.
I think the nay-sayers are full of sour grapes, myself.
I seriously considered Cary when I was in the market for a home, and it was the beautiful, established neighborhoods close to the center of town that drew me. That, and the numerous greenways, the bike lanes, the awesome parks and summer camps, etc. etc. etc. Cary just does a great job being a great place to live.
I think the nay-sayers are full of sour grapes, myself.
I seriously considered Cary when I was in the market for a home, and it was the beautiful, established neighborhoods close to the center of town that drew me. That, and the numerous greenways, the bike lanes, the awesome parks and summer camps, etc. etc. etc. Cary just does a great job being a great place to live.
The nay-sayers, or at least this naysayer, are not full of sour grapes. Cary is great for some people, not so attractive to others - that's just the way it is (with every place)
The nay-sayers, or at least this naysayer, are not full of sour grapes. Cary is great for some people, not so attractive to others - that's just the way it is (with every place)
Well most people have places they don't want to live for one reason or another, but most people don't beat a dead horse about those areas and subject people to the same old diatribe the way a few that hate Cary do.
I wouldn't say it is ALL sour grapes, but whatever the reason is, it's obsessive.
This is often what I see:
Person A: "My family is considering a move to Cary."
Person B: "If you like what you've seen and heard about Cary, you should also check out Apex, etc."
Person C: "I hate Cary and I don't see why people love Prestonwood so much."
One of those posts is clearly informative and the other clearly useless. I don't find it strange that some people don't want to live in Cary, but I do find it odd how much some will go out of their way to bash the town.
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