According to figures released today by the U.S. Census Bureau, Cary was the nation's fifth-fastest growing large city. It ranked just below hot spots such as the recovering New Orleans, North Las Vegas and Victorville, a suburb in southern California.

Town leaders say growth-friendly policies and declining job markets in other parts of the country have helped make Cary a magnet again, rising from 22nd in the nation in 2005. And even though the economy has weakened since the census data were collected in July 2007, the number of new homes permitted has remained constant since.

Those who have moved to Cary recently from other parts of the country say they were drawn by its suburban feel, its affordable housing and its abundance of pristine parks, golf courses and shopping centers.

Su Holshausen, a Zimbabwe native who moved to Cary in 2006, says her neighborhood in the Weatherstone subdivision in western Cary has drawn transplants from around the world.

"You can go to a pub and hear German spoken or see people watching a cricket match," Holshausen said. "You see ladies walking down the sidewalk in saris, straight from India or Pakistan, and all the nationalities seem to meld so happily. ... Whether they grew up in the South or moved here, everyone seems to be adopting the Southern hospitality."

Holshausen said she moved here after living in Ohio and California. She visited Cary at the urging of a friend, and returned home with a command for her husband: Find a job in Cary.

She's now urging friends in Florida to make the move, too.

According to the census, Cary grew by 7.3 percent between mid-2006 and mid-2007. The town now has nearly 122,000 residents, up from about 95,000 in 2000.

Raleigh was the only other North Carolina city among the nation's fastest growing. It ranked 13th with 4.2 percent growth.

The rankings are for only cities with more than 100,000 people, however. Within North Carolina, Cary's growth rate is well below those of many smaller towns.

Rolesville, the fastest-growing town in the state, grew by nearly 29 percent. Cary's neighbor Holly Springs added nearly 12 percent.

A shift in attitude

Regardless, Cary's return to the national top-10 rankings is evidence of a fundamental shift in the town's attitude toward growth. In 1999, Mayor Glen Lang swept into office on a promise to slow the torrent of new residents. Growth fell every year from 2001 to 2004, bottoming out at less than 2 percent, according to the town's statistics.

The reduction was so dramatic that a new council came on board vowing to turn it around, and the pendulum swung the other way.

Denny Docherty said it makes sense that people flock to Cary. His family has moved there three times, finding a way to come back each time he was transferred to another area by his job at tractor manufacturer John Deere.

Docherty, who was eating lunch Wednesday at a Chick-fil-A filled with children and stay-at-home moms, said Cary tops all the places his family of six has lived.

"We will never move back to the Midwest," said Docherty. "We love the diversity here, the weather. Everything in the community is new and fresh."

Grumbling starts

However, as new homes rose in the past couple of years, so did complaints from existing residents about congested roads, crowded schools and loss of open space. Frequent school reassignments have caused huge controversies in the town.

Next page >