What' s the attraction of Cary and the Triangle area ? (Charlotte: chapel, houses)

[Rhaven]

Like others mentioned, it's not scenic beauty that people mean when they say how great Cary is. If that's your sole definition of what great means, then Cary would not make the list. But when I think about how great Cary is I think of:
*cost of living allows my family of 5 to actually enjoy life which is tops on my list of greatness
*easy access to highways so I can get anywhere I need with ease
* a hope skip and a jump to two major cities, without having the city sprawl feeling like it is in Boston
*close to RDU
*friendly people
*beautiful parks and greenways for my family to enjoy
* lots of great things to do for a family with 3 kids, all year round
*great holiday events, put on by the town of Cary. They do a fantastic job with Spring Daze, Lazy Daze, Halloween, Cary Scavenger Hunt, etc.
*convenience to shopping
*despite being big, considering other places I have lived, it still holds a "small town" feeling.
*Cute downtown
*Easy to get to museums
*despite all the brou haha over WCPSS, my child(ren) are getting a great education, with teachers who care
*the area has a bunch of ways for people to meet and make new friends
*New Theater!

I could go on, but hopefully you get the picture Is it scenic? Hemlock Bluffs is, but otherwise it's not the Rockies. But I'll take not having a scenic view while I enjoy everything else that *is* great about Cary and the surrounding area. I've been here four years (gave up that scenic view of foothills and mountains from MA) and it was the best move my family made.

[MikeJaquish]

What does "scenic" mean? Is it subjective in definition?
Is lovely scenery easy to overlook unless it is overwhelming?
Does "scenic" require unlimited majesty, or a patent, or can it be observed all around on a small scale?

[Beermat]

I can't recall any postings on here saying that Cary is a beautiful Town. What I have read is that people like is the quality of life, the cleanliness, the safety, the schools, and as others have mentioned, the cost of housing being affordable, and the proximity to well paying jobs in RTP.

So how do the suburbs of Paris, or Marseille, or Lille, for example, compare to Cary? Whenever I have passed through them on trains they look pretty miserable and depressing with everywhere covered in graffiti. It's hardly fair to compare Cary with Nice on the South of France is it? If you were comparing Nice to St Augustine in Florida there would be a more reasonable comparison, but still very different locations, scenery and lifestyles.

When you came here you knew what to expect and made a personal decision I guess for financial reasons to live and work in Cary. If you are unhappy then I would suggest relocate asap as life is too short to be miserable where you don't want to be. But remember the population of Cary has increased from 8000 to 130,000 in 40 years so it must be doing something right, even if it's not perfect.

[lovebrentwood]

Cary has a lot of:

- trees; most people like trees
- relatively new homes that look alike; some people like new homes that look alike.
- people who are similar; some people like that.
- relatively new landscaping throughout its roadways, which is nice.

People often move here from:

- places where trees are not so plentiful
- where there are a lot of old homes and little new construction (especially from the Northeast)
- very cold, snowy, rainy places.
- places that are not the least bit scenic and are downright ugly.

Cary is not scenic, but it is prettier than many places. Add less-expensive real estate compared to NY and California, and in the past plentiful jobs -- that's why it became such a mecca. (Your question was "What's the attraction?" and I think that is [or was] the attraction.)

Southern culture is such that complaining is highly frowned upon. So no native will ever admit that this is not the finest place in the world to live. (Including my husband. )

I used to be perturbed when I asked people why this is such a heralded place to live, and they'd always respond, "Because it's two hours from the ocean and four hours from the mountains!" I always thought it strange that the best thing about the place included getting far, far, away from it.

I grew up 10 minutes from a sand beach of one of the Great Lakes, where there was an antique carousel, wonderful custard ice cream cones, a pier to walk on so you could see all the boats coming down the river and into the lake. My elementary school and church overlooked the river, and it was next door to a beautiful stone lighthouse that was built in 1822. Sometimes we had Girl Scout meetings there because one of the Girl Scouts lived there; her father was in the Coast Guard. It's now considered a historic place.

I'd go skiing on weeknights in the winter -- mountains big enough to ski on were only 45 minutes away. The area was also known for its wineries, and we'd enjoy them in the summer and fall. The Finger Lakes area is truly gorgeous.

But no one ever heralded those things. They just were there to enjoy. No one ever seemed to brag about them.

So it was strange to move here, to this landlocked place, and hear repeatedly it was so great because you had to travel only two hours to water and four hours to see mountains.

The only thing to do is to budget for travel every year, at least, to see the scenic places of the world that you most enjoy.

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

If life is only about living somewhere "scenic" ask yourself this:

Why isn't everyone moving to Nice, France or San Diego, California?

Just some food for thought.

[adlnc07]

Now that I've discovered kayaking, I'd say that the local lakes are the best "scenery" this area has to offer.

[YankInEurope]

My wife is from Belgium, and we lived in Raleigh-Cary for 8 years, until last year. Now we are in Belgium. There is no way that the Triangle, or any town in the USA, can compete with Europe when it comes to cute towns and old-world architecture and all that. Impossible. You should focus on the "easiness" of living there in Cary, and the (mostly) good attitude of the people. I don't know about France, but in Belgium, people live and die within 20 kilometers from where they were born. Its depressing sometimes, realizing that so many people have never "packed up the U-Haul" and taken a big chance. I like Belgians, its just that they tend to think small. (My Belgian in-laws never liked NC, or America in general.)

[Funky Chicken]

I get to choose "scenic" as a priority 3 weeks a year and sometimes on weekends.
The rest of the time I am working, taking care of myself and my house, and raising a family.
People don't get to live anywhere they want to as a rule. They need to find a place that makes sense to them to live and work. That is why Cary and the Triangle are popular places. I cannot imagine why this concept would be lost on anyone who is not independently wealthy.

[Poggly Woggly]

Cary is indeed scenic! Try Lake Crabtree by canoe

[TVFL]

Originally Posted by christinegoodwin

I am amazed by reading every day about how wonderful Cary is .
I live in Cary since 2007 because i have to ( my husband is not retired yet and have kids to take care of ) but i see no beauty or charm around here . Cary is not a cute town but a group of subdivisions who seem to pop up like mushrooms .The summers are like hell with the heat , humidity and mosquitoes and are confined inside with the AC on . The best parts of North Carolina are in the mountains . We have a cabin in Todd , on he New River . It is close to Boone and to me that is a lovely area to settled in . We both love it .It is quiet , relaxing , has very good weather and you can enjoy the outdoors .
I am from Nice , France , my husband is from San Diego , CA and here you talk about beautiful part of the world . But Cary , sorry is not one of the places you want to see before you die. So move here if you find a highly paid job that you cannot get anywhere else in America . That is the only reason to make the move to this area in my opinion .If there is scenic places in this area , i will be happy to know where they are located ?

I think you are missing the point about Cary.

When you think beauty, it sounds like you are thinking mountain views. Cary's beauty is abundant natural areas, along with heavily landscaped and tree lined roadways and tons of greenways. The town of Cary simply looks much more appealing than most towns in the country do.

Then there are the conveniences of life in Cary. It has everything a family will need in town and often at every other intersection....lol. It just makes it super easy go bring up a family.

Then there is the low priced housing and property taxes relative to yankeeland and great schools. What more could they want?

Then there are the homes themselves. Everything from unique old homes on private lots, to walkable neighborhoods, to new homes with custom touches, homes that look alike. You want it, you can find it.

All I can think of when you say you don't understand it, is you are right. You don't.