Guides › North Carolina, USA › Cary, North Carolina
City guide

Cary, North Carolina

S. state of North Carolina and is part of the Raleigh-Cary, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Type CityMetro Area Population 174,721

Why go

  • Town in North Carolina, US.
  • Served by Cox Airport.

History

Cary is a town in Wake, Chatham, and Durham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is part of the Raleigh-Cary, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2020 census, its population was 174,721, making it the seventh-most populous municipality in North Carolina, and the 146th-most populous in the United States. In 2023, the town's population had increased to 180,010.

Airports

Raleigh–Durham International Airport (RDU) 6.2 mi to the centre
Raleigh/Durham, NC, US — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 19 airlines (Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, US Airways…) · direct flights to 39 destinations incl. Atlanta, London, Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 19 airlines, 39 direct destinations

Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.

Indoor
Cox Airport 5 mi to the centre
Apex, NC, US
Outdoor
Deck Airpark 8.6 mi to the centre
Apex, NC, US
Outdoor

Where things are

Full geo-intelligence in Better Mapping →
Local search powered by Geoverts and geo-intelligence by Better Mapping base map © OSM

Photographs

When to go

Tourist season
May – September

The warmer, longer-day half of the year is the safest bet for a first visit.

Shoulder season
April, October

Cooler and quieter, with fewer visitors and better value.

Worth avoiding
Deep winter

Short days and the coldest weather — check local conditions before travelling.

Getting there & around

Getting there. The nearest airport on record is Cox Airport; 2 other airports serve the wider area. Check rail and road links from the tourism sources below.

Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for Cary, North Carolina. Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.

Local transit

Bus · Raleigh, North Carolina · Schedules & GTFS data (official feed)
Public transit · Schedules & GTFS data

Trains & rail

National rail

Coaches & shuttles

Intercity coach
Intercity coach
Intercity coach
Intercity coach

Private aviation

On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.

Jet card, charter · Partner fleet · Jet cards and on-demand charter from Boston.
Jet card · Partner fleet, light to heavy · One of the first jet-card programmes; guaranteed availability on partner aircraft.
Semi-private scheduled · Embraer 135 (16 seats) · First-class-only scheduled flights from Van Nuys to Aspen, Sun Valley, Cabo and Europe in summer.
Fractional, jet card · Embraer Phenom 300, Challenger 350 · Fractional and jet card programme centred on the US Midwest and East.
Helicopter, by-the-seat · Helicopters, seaplanes, jets via partners · By-the-seat helicopters Manhattan–JFK/Newark and the Hamptons; jet charter through partners.