Randy’s sister Kristine and her husband Gary have lived in Cary, NC for more than 45 years. I always thought of it as a sleepy little bedroom community supporting its metro area, Raleigh. In 1980 its population was not quite 22,000 people. As we drove in this week I commented to Randy that every time we come to Cary we still can’t find our way to the same house they’ve lived in for 40 of those years. Now, in 2024, Cary’s population is more than 183,000, and the city it has become changes so much every time we visit that very little looks familiar. Even the walk a half mile to the local grocery store is vastly different this time with the addition of 6-story luxury senior apartments between their house and the store.
Last night we walked through the new Downtown Cary Park which was under construction when we were last here in 2022. It’s adjacent to their library (forgive my library envy) and encompasses 7 acres in downtown Cary. Honestly, it’s a spectacular park and showcases the beautiful and affluent community that Cary has grown into.
When Randy and I were trying to decide where to live after he retired from the Air Force in 1994, Cary was high on our list. We even looked at homes here. Ultimately, for a few years we moved back to Wisconsin, then to Missouri for about 23 years, and finally to Florida. In retrospect, I’m glad it happened that way. As I mentioned in my post earlier this week, I’m not a city girl. And Cary has definitely become a city.
Still, Cary has kind of a small town vibe, and it’s an awfully nice place to visit.
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