Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I read so much about the newer Cary sub-divisions on this forum. I was wondering if anyone else chose to live in one of the older Cary neighborhoods instead.
I had a client who was very interested in a home in Greenwood Forest, with homes built in the 60s and 70s on large lots with trees, lots of character... also, Tanglewood, Walnut Hills, Savon Heights...
Actually, MacGregor Downs has beautiful older homes with tons of trees. Cary has only recently experienced it's huge growth spurt, so there is not a ton of older or historic homes, but there are lots of charming areas close to downtown worth taking a look at if you're not in to new development.
Also Hillsdale Forest, Greenwood Acres, and Medfield Estates come to mind. I think Macgregor downs is one of the nicer established neighborhoods in town. BTW, it was the first "upscale" neighborhood built in Cary.
we liked Macgregor, Picardy, Normandie, Harrison place, Preston and some others I can't recall names right now. We just drove around and pulled into random neighborhoods and these were great with BIG wooded landscaped lots. Very pretty and quiet. But its hit or miss to find one with a house for sale. Good luck!!
A lot of people coming from outside North Carolina are looking for established neighborhoods, even in Cary. There are three that I would like to highlight that deserve the spotlilght.
The first heading South in Cary is MacGregor Downs subdivision - the first prestigious development in Cary. Built in the 1960s with large lots and homes off U.S. 64, MacGregor Downs defines East Cary. In fact, many claim that Cary's reputation for upscale residential living is due to this subdivision.
Kildaire Farms, North Carolina's first planned unit development (PUD) with various style homes in different price ranges, was developed along Kildaire Farm Road and Cary Parkway during the 1970s and '80s. This community has more than 2,500 residential units throughout its neighborhoods, a greenway system with jogging trails and bike paths, the Kildaire Farms Racquet and Swim Club and the Cary Athletic Club located within its boundaries.
Regency Park, a PUD developed during the 1980s, includes commercial as well as residential buildings. It's located off the intersection of U.S. 1 South and U.S. 64. Regency Park Estates, tucked away in Regency Park adjacent to Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve, is a neighborhood where every homesite is an acre or larger.
Lochmere, a PUD not far from Regency Park on the southern end of Kildaire Farm Road east of U.S. 1, also was developed in the 1980s. With a lake, miles of nature and jogging trails, swim and tennis clubs, golf and several different neighborhoods in all price ranges, Lochmere has been a very successful community.
Are there residential neighborhoods in the downtown area of Cary? neighborhoods that aren't sub-divisions/PUDs?
Yes.
But most neighborhoods are lots that once were part of larger parcels. Technically they may be called "Subdivisions," but the flavor of the old neighborhoods is different.
PUD's are much more recent.
I actually already chose to live in one of the older neighborhoods in Cary. I live within the Maynard Loop. I was wondering if anyone else on this board made the same choice. Additionally, I am happy to be a resource for folks considering such a move.
Anecdotal evidence on this forum suggests that most newcomers gravitate towards new construction rather than resale. The fashion is for ever-larger and more expensive houses. I gather that equity gained from home sales in other parts of the country are a spur to this trend.
I fear that Cary may be overlooked by relocators of more modest means, first-time home buyers without equity, people looking for cozy homes on large wooded lots in established neighborhoods at a reasonable prices etc.
Discussion of Cary seems so focused on upscale sub-divisions. There are other possibilities.
Whats funny is that I've actually had two different clients that prefer the older Cary neighborhoods as opposed to new construction!
They are in different price ranges...one has to stay under $200,000 and one can go as high as $350s, so I've seen a lot of these neighborhoods.
What seems to appeal to those going with the older neighborhoods is the more treed lots and the lot sizes. Instead of getting .15 acre in a new neighborhood, they are getting .33 in an older neighborhood.
We too live in an older Cary neighborhood and LOVE IT! Most of the homes in our neighborhood are on the smaller side (comapred to the neighborhoods with mammoth sized houses) and are less than 200K. The lots are larger than the the newer areas (most are between .25-.50 acre) and are wooded, with lots of pretty, well established landscaping. We also love that we can walk to downtown Cary and patronize local businesses, walk to school, the library, the park, the swimming pool and the post office, yet still be within 2 miles of all the modern conveniences of Cary!
I do realize that in the past decade, the trend has been to move to more outlying areas for larger, newer homes, but we are confident that eventually, those who love the older feel of town, and enjoy the convient location and large, plush, wooded lots will appreciate it as well.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
