A Brief Historical Perspective of Cary

Cary, North Carolina, sits 10 miles directly west of the capital city of Raleigh. It also is only 10 miles south from the hotbed of activity at the Research Triangle Park. The population today has surpassed 162,000 residents. Several years ago Cary was the 5th fastest growing municipality in the country with a very, very low crime rate. The rapid growth has been driven by the introduction of the Research Triangle Park in the 1960s.

In 1750 Cary began as a settlement called Bradford’s Ordinary. Around 100 years later the railroad passed through from New Bern to Hillsborough. Allison Page is given credit for starting the town as we know it today. He and his wife Catherine bought 300 acres surrounding the railroad junction in 1854 and first built a lumber mill. He became a railroad agent and a town developer. He laid out the first streets and then built a general store and a post office. He became the first Postmaster. Then in 1868 Page built a hotel to accommodate railroad passengers coming through the town. He decided to name the town after a Samuel Cary who had been an Ohio congressman and prohibitionist that Page had admired. In 1871 the town was incorporated and yes, Page became the first mayor. Another railroad came through in 1879 creating another junction directly north of the downtown and this addition spurred on more growth in the town. The town thrived on the small farming community that were growing crops of tobacco and cotton.

Cary also started the first school, the Cary Academy, which in 1907 was purchased by the State of North Carolina and renamed Cary High School. This was one of the first public high schools in the state. The school has a vocational technology program with a farm run by the high school. At one point it had over 10,000 laying hens and 550 head of cattle!

The town doubled in the 1920s and then was hit by the Great Depression. The town went bankrupt in 1932. With the efforts of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal some of the city turned into green space and parks were created at that time.

After World War II ended Cary saw substantial growth and development. The city created the Planning and Zoning Board in 1949 to control the growth. All the city streets were then paved and the city braced itself for the next wave of growth.

The Research Triangle Park, mentioned earlier, was created in 1959. In the 1960s the population of Cary literally doubled creating overcrowding in schools. New schools were constructed and Cary became the first school system in Wake County, in 1963, to integrate their schools. The city continued to expand and to control the growth from the planning perspective they created the PUD, or Planned Unit Developments. They were concerned about the negative impact on their small town character. They also formed the Community Appearance Commission in 1972 to control and regulate downtown visual activities. Cary has done a terrific job growing and maintaining balance.

Directions from Cary High School to Wake Dental Care

Just by chance if you're new to the Cary, NC area and are looking for a new dentist for you and/or your family, consider calling and setting up an appointment at Wake Dental Care.

Looking for more information on North Carolina in general? Here's a brief history.