Cary NC does it again!
Best places to live in US
#5 for 2025-2026
We moved to Cary in 1997. Like so many, we put North Carolina at the top of our wish list for places to move to. We didn't know which town at the time. We loved Asheville for its beauty but winters are a bit colder than we prefer. My husband got an opportunity to work for a company located in Downtown Raleigh. He didn't have to ask me twice. Locals told us to consider moving to N. Raleigh or Cary. I had read about Cary on a Delta Flight magazine. It was a small town predicted to grow. So, we bought a house in Cary and have been here ever since. We raised our kids here, made tons of friends, found other job opportunities, and have found it to be a great financial investment as well. We came when there weren't many restaurants, only 1 Target, and not many doctors or services. We bought a house that was central Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. It has been one of the best decisions ever.
Cary is constantly being recognized on the top of many prestigious list. Now it is recognized as one of the best places to live by US News and Reports.
Other awards include:
Awards
For decades, Cary has been nationally recognized as a community of excellence, as evidenced by the awards we received in 2024:
- #1 Remote Working – SmartAsset
- #1 For Renters – USA Today
- #2 Best Place to live – Livability
- #2 Safest Most Affordable – GoBankingRates
- #3 Safest City – Travel Diary
- #6 Safest City – MoneyGeek
- #3 Best US Job Market - SmartAsset
- #2 Most Affordable for Remote Workers – CoworkingCafe
- #3 Best Real Estate Market - WalletHub
- #1 Best Place to Retire – Dave Ramsey
- #2 Best City for Early Retirement - Kiplinger
- #12 Least Stressed City – LawnStarter
- Top 30 Most Dynamic Metro – Raleigh/Cary
Cary is also recognized as a premier community in the South:
- #2 Safest and Affordable in South – GoBankingRates
- #8 Best Cities on the Rise in South – Southern Living
- #13 Cutest Christmas Town in South – Southern Living
- #15 Friendliest City in South – Southern Living
- #12 Hotel in South: Umstead Hotel
Once again, Cary stands as a leader both in North Carolina and locally:
- #1 For Retirement in NC – Motley Fool
- #1 Hotel in NC: Umstead Hotel
- #5 Best City to Move to in NC – USA Today
- Space Award for Downtown Cary Park – Triangle Business Journal
- Cary Zip 27518 is one of the wealthiest in nation – 608
Having lived here for so long, it's easy to take for granted how wonderful it is to live in such a beautiful town. All we have to do is go somewhere else for a week and we're reminded how wonderful living in Cary is and how spoiled we are. Now that we've raised our kids and we're empty nesters, there are other things we're loving about Cary.
- Cary has an amazing Downtown Park
- There are more restaurants coming to Cary
- Many reputable employers such as Epic Games, SAS, Siemens, Apple and others are choosing Cary for their companies
- Cary boast some of the highest scoring schools
- Cary is very culturally diverse
- We're central to Raleigh, Durham, Pittsboro and Chapel Hill
- Cary is convenient to the RDU airport
- Cary is convenient to the major universities
- We're just a few hours from the beach
- You can find pickleball courts everywhere
- Cary still has the best walking trails and greenways in the south
- Overall, Cary offers a high quality of life
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