Cary, North Carolina | |||
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Town of Cary | |||
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Location in Wake County and the state of North Carolina. |
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Coordinates: 35°46′44″N 78°48′1″W / 35.77889°N 78.80028°WCoordinates: 35°46′44″N 78°48′1″W / 35.77889°N 78.80028°W | |||
Country | United States | ||
State | North Carolina | ||
Counties | Wake, Chatham | ||
Founded | 1750 | ||
Incorporated | April 6, 1871 | ||
Named for | Samuel Fenton Cary | ||
Government | |||
• Mayor | Harold Weinbrecht (D) | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 59.42 sq mi (153.90 km2) | ||
• Land | 58.33 sq mi (151.07 km2) | ||
• Water | 1.09 sq mi (2.82 km2) 1.83% | ||
Elevation | 480 ft (146 m) | ||
Population (2015 Census Estimate) | |||
• Total | 159,769 | ||
• Density | 2,739.1/sq mi (1,057.6/km2) | ||
Demonym(s) | Caryite | ||
Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | ||
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
ZIP Code | 27511-27513, 27518, 27519 | ||
Area code(s) | 919, 984 | ||
FIPS code | 37-10740 | ||
GNIS feature ID | 1019552 | ||
Website | www |
Cary /ˈkæri/ is the seventh largest municipality in North Carolina. Cary is in Wake and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located almost entirely in Wake County, it is the second largest municipality in that county and the third largest municipality in The Triangle after Raleigh and Durham. The town's population was 135,234 as of the 2010 census (an increase of 43.1% since 2000), making it the largest town and seventh largest municipality statewide. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the town's population to be 159,769 as of July 1, 2015. Cary is currently the second most populous incorporated town (behind only Gilbert, Arizona) in the United States. According to the US Census Bureau, Cary was the 5th fastest growing municipality in the United States between September 1, 2006, and September 1, 2007. Cary is often considered one of the safest places to live in the US, due to its extremely low crime rate at just 84 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. Charlotte, the largest city in North Carolina, has a violent crime rate of 648 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, almost 8 times higher than Cary.
Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill make up the three primary metro areas of the Research Triangle metropolitan region even though today Cary is the 3rd largest municipality in the metropolitan area. The regional nickname of "The Triangle" originated after the 1959 creation of the Research Triangle Park, primarily located in Durham County, four miles from downtown Durham. RTP is bordered on three sides by the city of Durham and is roughly midway between the cities of Raleigh and Chapel Hill, and three major research universities of NC State University, Duke University, and UNC-Chapel Hill.