Third Safest City in America was Cary’s rank on the CQ Press 2011-2012 City Crime Rankings list for mid-size cities. It was the only North Carolina city in the top 10.
Umstead Hotel and Spa isn’t just a luxurious place for visitors to 
stay. Locals, too, can enjoy its Forbes Five Star, AAA Five Diamond restaurant, Herons; a 14,000-squarefoot spa; 6,000-square-foot outdoor lawn for weddings and other events; 10,000-plus square feet of meeting space and much more.
Volunteers make the town go ’round. Friends of Page Walker, Friends of Hemlock Bluffs and the Sister Cities Association are some of the best-known volunteer organizations in town, but they are just a fraction of the total volunteer base in Cary. In all, Cary has more than 7,500 volunteers! Citizens Assisting Police team members support Cary police at public events, writing reports and other tasks, while the Community Emergency Response Team trains citizens to deal with the aftermath of a disaster event. A number of councilappointed boards and commissions cover everything from recreation to land use. The Cary Teen Council gives middle and high school students a chance to get in on the good will, too.
Wink brings traffic information to Cary citizens at the blink of an eye. An area map at wink.townofcary.org monitors incidents, construction and special events in real time, and links to camera images at key intersections that relay current traffic conditions. A Wink rush hour program runs from 6 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays on Cary TV. Embedded road sensors are planned to connect to the map in the future in order to provide a look at traffic flows on high-traffic roads.
X-Treme Sports even have a place of their own at Sk8-Cary Skate Park in Godbold Park. The park entices skateboarders, in-line skaters and BMX riders with 12,000 feet of ramps, rails and ledges to challenge any alternative athlete.
Youth Theatre gives Cary’s younger citizens another chance to enjoy the perks of the town while supporting the arts. Applause! Cary Youth Theatre offers theater programs for ages 4 to 18, ranging from classes, camps and workshops to two mainstage productions per year. Perseus Bayou will run from May 18-20 at the Cary Arts Center.
Zygnemataceae: You’re more likely to know what that is if you live here. Raleigh-Cary was No. 10 on U.S. News & World Report’s 2011 list of the 10 Most Educated U.S. Cities. And the Triangle is so great that Durham-Chapel Hill took No. 4. (If you’re curious, it’s a type of algae.)
