Cary, Illinois


Cary is a village located in Algonquin Township, McHenry County, Illinois and Cuba Township, Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,067 as of 2019.

Founding

In 1841, William Dennison Cary purchased for $1.25 an acre at the location of the current town and built a farm. In 1856, Cary included a train station for the Illinois & Wisconsin Railway. The site was approved and a post office was added with the designation "Cary Station." The community around Cary Station was incorporated in 1893 as Cary, Illinois. The town soon became a winter resort for skiing.
Early farmers saw this new railway as an opportunity. The economy relied heavily on selling produce, mainly pickles, and the farmers utilized the railway to conduct business with more industrialized cities such as St. Louis and Chicago. The success of this enterprise helped transform Cary into the suburban community it is today.

Geography

Cary is located at .
According to the 2010 census, Cary has a total area of, of which is land and is water. It is located on the Fox River.

Demographics

The population of Cary, IL was 17,965 as of 2017. The racial makeup of the village was 86.50% White, 0.6% African American, 0.1% Native American, 2.4% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races/ethnicities. Hispanic or Latino/Latina of any race were 8.9% of the population.
There were 6045 households out of which 2838 had children under the age of 18 living with them.
The median income for a household in the village was $96,894, and the median income for a family was $105,770.

Education

Cary is mainly served by Community High School District 155 for high school students, specifically by Cary-Grove High School and Prairie Ridge High School, and School District 26 for elementary and middle school students. Some portions of Cary also are served by Crystal Lake Community Consolidated School District 47 and Community Unit School District 300.
Trinity Oaks Christian Academy, a non-denominational Christian school, is located in Cary, as well as Saints Peter and Paul, a Roman Catholic school and parish.

Popular culture

The interior of the bed and breakfast room that Bill Murray's character stays in, in the 1993 film Groundhog Day, was built in a warehouse in Cary.
Suzanne Evenson of Cary was featured on HGTV's show House Hunters International on December 8, 2010, showcasing her family's move from Cary to Dubai.
Students from the class of 2004 were featured in the MTV show High School Stories. They concocted a senior prank which included launching a boat onto a pond on school property.
In the summer of 2016, Burger King opened its first ever drive-thru only restaurant in Cary.
A Cary resident, Chris Rudolph, was a contestant on TLC's "Spouse House," airing in July 2017.

Transportation

, locally known as Northwest Highway, passes through Cary between its northwest and southeast borders.
Illinois Route 31 is near Cary's western border.
Metra's Union Pacific/Northwest Line has a station in Cary, and operates daily service to Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago.
Lake in the Hills Airport is approximately two miles west of Cary's west border.

Notable people