Issue link: http://townofcary.uberflip.com/i/320439
Chapter 2 ! Who is Cary? 8 Cary Today Today, Cary is a large suburban to wn located within the vibrant and productive Raleigh - Durham metropolitan region of North Carolina. Its prime location near both Raleigh and the Research Triangle has made it a desirable place for people to live and work. Within the past five years, Cary ha s been selected by several national magazines as one of the most desirable places to live in the United States. This is not a surprise given the abundance of parks and greenways, low - crime rate, upscale shopping options, premiere sports facilities, a visu a l and performance arts presence, and nearby employment centers. These characteristics have made Cary a desirable community and contributed to the growth of the Town . For the past 40 years, Cary's population has grown by leaps and bounds. From 2000 to 2010 , the population grew 43 percent according to the US Census, making Cary the largest town in North Carolina and one of the fastest growing municipalities in the state. During th e same time period , the population also grew more diverse. Both the Asian and H ispanic/Latino population nearly doubled, with Asians now representing 13% of the total population — the largest minority group in Cary. Overall, the community is relatively affluent, with a 2009 median household income of $91,000, which is more than double that of the State of North Carolina an d the United States as a whole. (Town of Cary Population and Housing Trends Report of Spring 2010.) Cary has been proactive in managing physical growth and its expanding population. In the 1960s, the Town anticipate d future development pressure from the Research Triangle and adopted a planned unit development ordinance to ensure that new neighborhoods were well designed and included parks and open space. By the 1980s, however, Cary's residential development was out - p acing commercial and industrial g rowth ; resulting in a tax base that struggled to support the increasing need for residential services. To promote a more balanced economy, Cary revised its land use plan in the early 1990s to promote mixed - use centers in or der to increase tax ratables and encourage more walkable, sustainable neighborhoods. Town Center Revitalization Much of Cary's land use planning in the latter part of the 20 th century focused on neighborhood development and growth in its hinterlands. As a result, the core of Cary — its downtown — was left to its own devices. Predominantly one - story stores and services interspersed with several public buildings, downtown Cary could not compete with the growing number of mixed - use and commercial centers throughout the town. In 2000, Cary began to focus its planning efforts on the revitalization of downtown. With an outer boundary of Maynard Drive (referred to as the Maynard Loop) and an inside core centered on Chatham Street and Academy Street, a Town Center Area Plan was adopted in 2001 with recommendations that included increased commercial density, a cultural arts district, and urban design strategies. The plan led to subsequent st udies, including a C ultural A rts D istrict P lan and T own C enter D esign G uidelines. While progress in revitalizing the town center has been slow, partially due to the recession, three important milestones occurred in 2011. First, the Town completed a ren ovation and conversion of the Old Cary Elementary School into the Cary Arts Center, which has been well received by the community and is a cultural anchor to the downtown district. Second, Cary hired a Downtown Development Manager and appropriated funds for a comprehensive redevelopment strategy. Third, one of the first tasks of the Downtown Development Manager was to acquire a vacant building on Chatham Street for possible use as a film and performing arts facility. The se renovations are currently underw ay.