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55. Cary, NC
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Cary
The Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival draws 50,000 people to the heart of downtown.
WINNER
Top 100 rank: 55
Population: 145,900
Compare Cary to Top 10 Best Places
The past 10 years have seen dramatic population growth in Cary, with newcomers attracted to its pleasant weather, safe streets (the League of American Cyclists has praised its accommodations for cyclists), and educational opportunities (the three biggest universities and research facilities in North Carolina are located close by). It's also a slice of heaven for sports lovers: Besides tons of college sports, Cary is home to the U.S.A. Baseball National Training Complex. Schools, however, haven't quite kept up with Cary's growth. While several new ones have opened recently, there are still reports of overcrowding. --D.M.
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Cary stats
  City stats Best places avg.
Median family income
(per year)		 $109,637 $96,825
Job growth %
(2000-2011)*		 34.02% 25.01%
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Median home price $259,000 $269,768
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Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 28.0% 28.2%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 19.2% 29.2%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 1 2
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 15 20
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 2,555 3,134
High temp in July ° F 88.2° 86.8°
Low temp in Jan ° F 30.1° 18.4°
Median age 33.0 35.2
Financial City stats Best places avg.
Median family income
(per year)		 $109,637 $96,825
Family purchasing power
(annual, cost-of-living adjusted)		 $111,194 $93,218
State sales tax 4.75% 5.57%
State income tax rate
(highest bracket)		 7.75%I 7.31%
State income tax rate
(lowest bracket)		 6.00%I 3.08%
Auto insurance premiums
(Average price quotes, for the state)		 $1,154 $1,596
Job growth %
(2000-2011)*		 34.02% 25.01%
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Housing
Median home price $259,000 $269,768
Average property taxes
(2011)		 $2,468 $6,517
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Education
Colleges, universities and
professional schools (within 30 miles)		 11 8
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 28.0% 28.2%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 19.2% 29.2%
% students attending public/private
schools (located within town limits)		 91.1/8.9 91.5/8.5
Quality of life
Air quality index*
(% of days AQI ranked as good)		 66.1% 77.3%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 1 2
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 15 20
Median commute time (in minutes) 21.2 22.2
% population with commute
45 mins. or longer		 7.5% 14.9%
% population walk or bike to work 1.7% 3.2%
Leisure and culture
Movie theaters
(within 15 miles)		 30 33
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 2,555 3,134
Bars
(within 15 miles)		 144 199
Public golf courses
(within 30 miles)		 101 169
Libraries
(within 15 miles)		 43 70
Museums (accredited by AAM;
within 30 miles)		 5 10
Ski resorts (within 100 miles) 0 6
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) 1.0 1.4
Weather
Annual rainfall
(inches)		 46.22 34.21
% clear days in the area 30 32
High temp in July ° F 88.2° 86.8°
Low temp in Jan ° F 30.1° 18.4°
Median age 33.0 35.2
Completed at least some college
(% of residents)		 82.5% 72.6%
Married % 65.3% 57.9%
Divorced % 6.4% 8.0%
Racial diversity index
(100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)		 120.1 118.4
From the September 2012 issue
Notes: *County data
Due to erroneous job, cost-of-living, and test score stats for a small number of places, this city's rank changed slightly from an earlier version. Details.

Due to an error by our data provider, an earlier version listed incorrect stats for this city's number of colleges.

(I) Income tax notes:
The income brackets reported for North Carolina are for single individuals. For married taxpayers filing jointly, the same tax rates apply to income brackets ranging from $21,250, to $100,000.
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How we picked the Best Places
Using statistics from data services company Onboard Informatics, we crunched the numbers in order to zero in on America's best small cities for families. (Last year, we looked at small towns, with populations between 8,500 and 50,000.) More

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