Cary Fact or Fiction.........the real deal. (Raleigh, Clayton: to buy, camp)

[In & Out]

Originally Posted by sneezecake

Unrelated question:

Who is behind the "Stop Cary" campaign - is it residents who don't want to see their town changing, or is it Morrisville or non-incorporated area residents who don't want to be annexed?

I have to say that Cary and Morrisville are two of the oddest towns/cities I have ever seen mapped.

98% of Cary annexation is citizen requested. Only 2% if forced.

http://www.townofcary.org/depts/dsde...ionProgram.pdf

[Snowpea]

Originally Posted by sneezecake

...How many people here live in homes that would currently sell for under $200k, and how many of you live in Cary?

I do. I am more frugal than fancy and I am very happy with my choice. It took me six months to find the right home (with the right combination of price/square footage/amenities) in the right location. Good resale properties priced under 200k move fast (or they did back in 2002/2003).

I was not fixated on Cary but I wanted to be centrally located in the Triangle Metro Area. The only communities I seriously considered living in were Durham (South), Raleigh (Northwest with a brief looksee in the Downtown) or Cary (Central).

I was renting in South Durham but I found it to be anonymously suburban and centerless. It is pleasant but there is no sense of place or history. It is far removed from downtown Durham both in terms of distance and political influence. There are certainly nice homes, neighborhoods and residents in South Durham but overall it just felt kind of blah to me.

I looked in Northwest Raleigh and I loved the thought of living off Glenwood Ave for being mid-way between Downtown Durham and Downtown Raleigh. I saw some decent homes and neighborhoods and I met some friendly people. IMO the amenities in Northwest Raleigh had the edge over those in South Durham. Still, it felt too spread out and centerless.

I briefly toyed with the notion of living in Downtown Raleigh. But the houses in my price range (150k or thereabouts) were located in the area of town with street prostitution, drug-dealers etc. Some of the historic homes there were real bargains in terms of return on investment possibilities but I understood quickly enough that this was not my path. Risk outweighed reward.

I did some lateral thinking and found my way to Downtown Cary. It is an emerging urban village. I am excited about the place I live and I love to share that enthusiasm with others. I am not going to bash the rest of Cary for offering a different, more suburban lifestyle/environment. West Cary would not suit me just like South Durham and North Raleigh did not suit me. The attributes I value may be undesirable to the next person.

I may be a visionary or I may be a crazy. Time will tell. But life here is already rewarding. I only hope that everyone else finds a place to love. It is a shame that some residents of the Greater Triangle Area seem so bitter and irrationally hateful. Reading this thread I started thinking that the 'H' in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill stood for HATE. But to think that way would be to stereotype all the residents of those communities.

[In & Out]

Originally Posted by Snowpea

I do. I am more frugal than fancy and I am very happy with my choice. It took me six months to find the right home (with the right combination of price/square footage/amenities) in the right location. Good resale properties priced under 200k move fast (or they did back in 2002/2003).

I was not fixated on Cary but I wanted to be centrally located in the Triangle Metro Area. The only communities I seriously considered living in were Durham (South), Raleigh (Northwest with a brief looksee in the Downtown) or Cary (Central).

I was renting in South Durham but I found it to be anonymously suburban and centerless. It is pleasant but there is no sense of place or history. It is far removed from downtown Durham both in terms of distance and political influence. There are certainly nice homes, neighborhoods and residents in South Durham but overall it just felt kind of blah to me.

I looked in Northwest Raleigh and I loved the thought of living off Glenwood Ave for being mid-way between Downtown Durham and Downtown Raleigh. I saw some decent homes and neighborhoods and I met some friendly people. IMO the amenities in Northwest Raleigh had the edge over those in South Durham. Still, it felt too spread out and centerless.

I briefly toyed with the notion of living in Downtown Raleigh. But the houses in my price range (150k or thereabouts) were located in the area of town with street prostitution, drug-dealers etc. Some of the historic homes there were real bargains in terms of return on investment possibilities but I understood quickly enough that this was not my path. Risk outweighed reward.

I did some lateral thinking and found my way to Downtown Cary. It is an emerging urban village. I am excited about the place I live and I love to share that enthusiasm with others. I am not going to bash the rest of Cary for offering a different, more suburban lifestyle/environment. West Cary would not suit me just like South Durham and North Raleigh did not suit me. The attributes I value may be undesirable to the next person.

I may be a visionary or I may be a crazy. Time will tell. But life here is already rewarding. I only hope that everyone else finds a place to love. It is a shame that some residents of the Greater Triangle Area seem so bitter and irrationally hateful. Reading this thread I started thinking that the 'H' in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill stood for HATE. But to think that way would be to stereotype all the residents of those communities.

Very nice post.

[metro.m]

Originally Posted by Snowpea

I do. I am more frugal than fancy and I am very happy with my choice. It took me six months to find the right home (with the right combination of price/square footage/amenities) in the right location. Good resale properties priced under 200k move fast (or they did back in 2002/2003).

I was not fixated on Cary but I wanted to be centrally located in the Triangle Metro Area. The only communities I seriously considered living in were Durham (South), Raleigh (Northwest with a brief looksee in the Downtown) or Cary (Central).

I was renting in South Durham but I found it to be anonymously suburban and centerless. It is pleasant but there is no sense of place or history. It is far removed from downtown Durham both in terms of distance and political influence. There are certainly nice homes, neighborhoods and residents in South Durham but overall it just felt kind of blah to me.

I looked in Northwest Raleigh and I loved the thought of living off Glenwood Ave for being mid-way between Downtown Durham and Downtown Raleigh. I saw some decent homes and neighborhoods and I met some friendly people. IMO the amenities in Northwest Raleigh had the edge over those in South Durham. Still, it felt too spread out and centerless.

I briefly toyed with the notion of living in Downtown Raleigh. But the houses in my price range (150k or thereabouts) were located in the area of town with street prostitution, drug-dealers etc. Some of the historic homes there were real bargains in terms of return on investment possibilities but I understood quickly enough that this was not my path. Risk outweighed reward.

I did some lateral thinking and found my way to Downtown Cary. It is an emerging urban village. I am excited about the place I live and I love to share that enthusiasm with others. I am not going to bash the rest of Cary for offering a different, more suburban lifestyle/environment. West Cary would not suit me just like South Durham and North Raleigh did not suit me. The attributes I value may be undesirable to the next person.

I may be a visionary or I may be a crazy. Time will tell. But life here is already rewarding. I only hope that everyone else finds a place to love. It is a shame that some residents of the Greater Triangle Area seem so bitter and irrationally hateful. Reading this thread I started thinking that the 'H' in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill stood for HATE. But to think that way would be to stereotype all the residents of those communities.

Dude no one cares about Cary that much contrary to your beliefs. Annoyed by all of the hype on this board maybe.

Since 2000 the Triangle has grown by roughly 600,000 residents. Cary makes up roughly 30,000 people in that figure. So that means only 5% percent of the Triangle's growth moved to Cary in the past 8 years! Five Percent!

I guess this board is popular with Cary residents.

PS. Where you live, actually has some soul...

[In & Out]

Originally Posted by metro.m

Dude no one cares about Cary that much contrary to your beliefs. Annoyed by all of the hype on this board maybe.

Since 2000 the Triangle has grown by roughly 600,000 residents. Cary makes up roughly 30,000 people in that figure. So that means only 5% percent of the Triangle's growth moved to Cary in the past 8 years! Five Percent!

I will have to look these numbers up. I hope this info is more accurate than the Raleigh water going to Cary info posted earlier.

[In & Out]

Originally Posted by metro.m

Dude no one cares about Cary that much contrary to your beliefs. Annoyed by all of the hype on this board maybe.

This is the question I must ask. Why does it bother some non Cary residents that Cary residents love their town? Simple question.

[piratelife]

This thread is comical. Cary is a semi affluent community, so what, who cares. If they, the residence and governing body, choose to keep lower income families out, again who cares. I say this as an outsider, not only of Cary, but of the entire region. I just moved from Chicago where you can go from multimillion dollar homes to crackhead infested slums with in a block. I live in the burbs and there are plenty of these types of villages here too. One that comes to mind is Naperville. I use Naperville as an example because they were actually fined for not taking section 8 housing within their village limits. Guess what, Bolingbrook took the states money and the residence. Guess what, their crime rate increased and now they have to hire more officers, raise taxes, and fix falling test scores. and those are just a few of the issues caused by their decision.

I applaud Cary and the places like it because they want to keep their city nice. The residence invest in the city and reap the rewards of their investment. I'm not sure if Cary, as a whole, is my ideal place to live, but with a family, it is one that I am considering. If I choose to work hard, put myself through school, and advance my career, why shouldn't I be able to live in an environment of my choice. I don't want crackheads living next door, but I'll take a decent human being no matter their heritage, race, creed, or background.

I believe the problem is that jealousy runs rampant. Cary is nice, solid schools, low crime, with residence that actually care what the streets and parks look like. They pay the taxes to support the system, so what is the issue. One would think that it is the only place on Earth like it. Look at some of the villages and townships in the Chicago burbs. Places like Hinsdale, Naperville, and St. Charles just to name a few and forget the Gold Coast and North Shore. These areas will make Cary look like a multicultural bazaar(note: I am not bashing these areas or their residence). What we often fail to realize is that the members of these communities do give back. They are often the business owners, or mid to senior level management that hire those who don't have the financial resources to live in said areas. In turn, they promote and mentor these individuals so they can advance their career and go after their own version of the American Dream. For those who don 't want to advance their careers, or want to live in a place like Cary, there are a million other places to live and being happy in your job or career is truly a blessing.

In the end, it all goes back to Kindergarten. Jonny has a better toy so I should get a better toy. Maybe, just maybe, Jonny saved his allowance and bought the toy.......

[sneezecake]

Originally Posted by In & Out

This is the question I must ask. Why does it bother some non Cary residents that Cary residents love their town? Simple question.

The same reason that you get so worked up when you perceive that people don't like Cary for whatever reason. Why does it bother some Cary residents that some non-Cary residents don't much care for the town? Simple question.

If you love Cary so much, shouldn't you not be concerned with all the misconceptions and facts/fiction and just continue on with your high QOL?

[Funky Chicken]

Originally Posted by piratelife

This thread is comical. Cary is a semi affluent community, so what, who cares. If they, the residence and governing body, choose to keep lower income families out, again who cares. I say this as an outsider, not only of Cary, but of the entire region. I just moved from Chicago where you can go from multimillion dollar homes to crackhead infested slums with in a block. I live in the burbs and there are plenty of these types of villages here too. One that comes to mind is Naperville. I use Naperville as an example because they were actually fined for not taking section 8 housing within their village limits. Guess what, Bolingbrook took the states money and the residence. Guess what, their crime rate increased and now they have to hire more officers, raise taxes, and fix falling test scores. and those are just a few of the issues caused by their decision.

I applaud Cary and the places like it because they want to keep their city nice. The residence invest in the city and reap the rewards of their investment. I'm not sure if Cary, as a whole, is my ideal place to live, but with a family, it is one that I am considering. If I choose to work hard, put myself through school, and advance my career, why shouldn't I be able to live in an environment of my choice. I don't want crackheads living next door, but I'll take a decent human being no matter their heritage, race, creed, or background.

I believe the problem is that jealousy runs rampant. Cary is nice, solid schools, low crime, with residence that actually care what the streets and parks look like. They pay the taxes to support the system, so what is the issue. One would think that it is the only place on Earth like it. Look at some of the villages and townships in the Chicago burbs. Places like Hinsdale, Naperville, and St. Charles just to name a few and forget the Gold Coast and North Shore. These areas will make Cary look like a multicultural bazaar(note: I am not bashing these areas or their residence). What we often fail to realize is that the members of these communities do give back. They are often the business owners, or mid to senior level management that hire those who don't have the financial resources to live in said areas. In turn, they promote and mentor these individuals so they can advance their career and go after their own version of the American Dream. For those who don 't want to advance their careers, or want to live in a place like Cary, there are a million other places to live and being happy in your job or career is truly a blessing.

In the end, it all goes back to Kindergarten. Jonny has a better toy so I should get a better toy. Maybe, just maybe, Jonny saved his allowance and bought the toy.......

This is a GREAT post. There is one bit of inaccurate information in this line that I would like to clear up, though-

"Cary is a semi affluent community, so what, who cares. If they, the residence and governing body, choose to keep lower income families out, again who cares."

The town of Cary has actually made pretty consistent efforts to include affordable housing in their recent expansion.

The development plans for Cary Park (one of the largest new neighborhoods in West Cary) REQUIRED that 15% of the housing units in the development be built as lower-income housing. That section of the neighborhood took a long while to fill up (and may still not be fully utilized) because the far Western location was off the employment grid for the people who would potentially fit the guidelines. As West Cary fills in Commercially, it will become a more viable place for lower income families to live.

[lamishra]

Originally Posted by Funky Chicken

This is a GREAT post. There is one bit of inaccurate information in this line that I would like to clear up, though-

"Cary is a semi affluent community, so what, who cares. If they, the residence and governing body, choose to keep lower income families out, again who cares."

The town of Cary has actually made pretty consistent efforts to include affordable housing in their recent expansion.

The development plans for Cary Park (one of the largest new neighborhoods in West Cary) REQUIRED that 15% of the housing units in the development be built as lower-income housing. That section of the neighborhood took a long while to fill up (and may still not be fully utilized) because the far Western location was off the employment grid for the people who would potentially fit the guidelines. As West Cary fills in Commercially, it will become a more viable place for lower income families to live.

Thank you for that nfo. I attended a few Town of Cary meetings and as I mentioned in a much earlier post, I do remember from those meetings that there is a push in Cary for more affordable housing and not just McMansion development. Not necessarily all "low income" but housing that would be affordable on say a teacher's or police officer's salary. I just didn't know exactly where they were all to be located.

There are some lower income housing units planned for central Cary where I live, but there has been a bigger push to put more of these developments in outlying areas where the more expensive homes are built. While I know that people living in 500K homes are not crazy about the idea of low income housing in their backyard, one good thing that may come of it would be more diversified schools in those areas which would HOPEFULLY lead to less school redistricting in those areas.