Cary named No. 1 best place to live in NC. Here’s what to know

The town of Cary has been ranked the best place to live in North Carolina, according to a new report from Niche.

The Wake County town earned top marks for Niche’s categories for “public schools,” “good for families” and “health and fitness.”

FULL STORY: This Triangle town is the No. 1 best place to live in NC, new report says

Here are key takeaways:

• Cary, the second-largest municipality in Wake County behind Raleigh, earned an A+ overall grade from Niche, an organization that provides rankings and data on schools and places to live.
• The town received A+ ratings in the “public schools,” “good for families” and “health and fitness” categories, plus A grades for “jobs” and “diversity.”
• Cary also ranked first in the best suburbs to live in North Carolina and second-best place to raise a family in the state, behind Apex.
• The town has grown to more than 180,000 residents, up nearly 40,000 since 2010, according to the U.S. Census.
• Recent developments include two new mixed-use projects from Kane Realty, two new downtown parking garages, the Cary Regional Library and Downtown Cary Park, which opened in 2023.
• Cary is home to six of The News & Observer’s Top 50 best restaurants in the Triangle.
• The town recently faced controversy after former town manager Sean Stegall resigned amid reports of over-the-top spending and a toxic work environment, with ongoing investigations by the North Carolina State Auditor and criminal investigation by State Bureau of Investigation.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.

This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Cary named No. 1 best place to live in NC. Here’s what to know."

Anna Roman

The News & Observer

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Anna Roman is a service journalism reporter for the News & Observer. She has previously covered city government, crime and business for newspapers across North Carolina and received many North Carolina Press Association awards, including first place for investigative reporting.