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Cary, NC has added another national designation to its long lists of awards – Cary has been deemed ‘Walk Friendly‘ by Walk Friendly Communities, a national recognition program recognizing communities working to improve a wide range of conditions related to walking, including safety, mobility, access, and comfort.

When I first saw the news about Cary being ‘walk friendly’ I paused….mainly because I’m used to seeing walkscore ratings – walkscore is a service used to rate how convenient it is to walk from a given house to parks,restaurants, employment etc – and while Cary is a great place to live it’s a town where the average resident gets in their car to drive to work or eat etc.

Turns out that walking from your house to a restaurant is not the type of walk friendly environment they were assessing.  Cary earned the recognition for excelling at providing  walking trails between communities, parks, schools called the Cary Greenway System.

When was the last time you checked out one of Cary’s greenway trails?

If fitness is important to you, and you live or plan to live in Cary, NC…well, you’re in luck! Cary is the ONLY place in North Carolina where you can experience a fabulous LifeTime Fitness Club! This isn’t your father’s gym…and it’s kind of hard to describe, but I’ll give it a shot.

From the moment you walk in, you literally feel the energy exuding throughout the 2-story atrium. Open to the cardio section above, the lobby also serves as the access point for the on-site Spa & Salon and the on-site Cafe. There’s high energy music playing and people are talking or just making their way to or from their workouts…on your way to the locker-room, you’ll pass the 2 full size gymnasiums and rock climbing wall, as well as the squash and racquetball courts. Just past the locker-rooms is a GIGANTIC on-site child care center.

So, back to the locker room. The lockers are mahogany, complete with an ingenious key system which utilizes your membership card. There are free towels, hairdryers and TONS of sinks and mirrors. Not to mention a steam room and a sauna…yes, in the locker room! The same energy laced music is playing in here as well…getting you pumped and ready to workout! The showers are plentiful and spacious. There’s even a liquid body wash dispenser in case you need it. If you keep walking out the other side of the locker room, you’ll end up in the indoor pool area…

The indoor pools include a large lap pool and a giant ‘family’ pool which has a very tall slide at the far end and walk-in entry at the near end. This room also includes 2 mammoth hot tubs and a co-ed sauna. If you continue out the far doors of this room, you walk right onto the outdoor pool deck where the indoor pools are duplicated, along with an outdoor cafe (in season) and a hot tub. Once you go, check out the very, very cool misting sun shades ; )

Okay, that’s the entire ground floor. I bet you’re thinking…um, didn’t you say this was a gym? Hold on. I’m getting to that part ; )

Upstairs is the massive ‘gym’. The large stretching area with benches, mats and machines is located right at the top of the stairs, I think as a gentle reminder when you first arrive or are ready to leave…that ‘I should probably stretch a little.’ Suffice it to say that there are so many cardio machines, I’ve never had to wait for one. There’s at least 3 types elliptical machines (dozens all together), 2 types of stair climbers, speed skating simulators, rowing machines, stationary bikes (3 types), and literally DOZENS of treadmills. That’s all in the cardio area.  The 2 fitness classrooms are enormous and nice and bright (unless it’s a yoga class). Adjacent to those is very large section of strength training machines…and then there’s the free weights. Not my thing, but it’s fun to watch! Again, just an incredible number of options here. At the far end you’ll find the personal training area where you can do the floor work that your trainer has recommended. The mats, balls, weights and other equipment are all easily accessed. Behind a closed door is a hallway leading to the private Pilates and yoga studios. Yes, really.

The Town of Cary offers Cary citizens a public transportation with their van / shuttle service called ‘C-Tran’.

C-Tran  service offers both fixed route transportation at very low cost or with reservations specific destination transportation. For more information visit the Town of Cary C-Tran website.

CaryRealEstate.com is proud to promote another reason that Cary North Carolina is a great place to live!  The Town of Cary has just announced the Cary Fire Department ranks as one of the best in the country!

Cary Fire Department Earns International Re-accreditation

CARY, NC – The Town of Cary Fire Department has again been granted international re-accreditation by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI). The Commission unanimously approved the Fire Department’s application at its meeting in Chicago. The Town of Cary Fire Department was initially accredited in 1999 and was last re accredited in 2005. The department is one of only 148 fire/rescue agencies in the world to achieve the accredited agency status.

“We are extremely proud to be reaffirmed as a top fire/rescue agency,” said Fire Chief Allan Cain. “Every day, our staff remains focused on providing the best fire protection and rescue services possible to our citizens.”

“We have an exemplary department, and I very much appreciate the staff’s continued commitment to the highest level of professionalism as they risk their lives to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for our citizens,” said Town Manager Ben Shivar.

This past June, a peer review team conducted an on-site visit of the Town of Cary Fire Department, evaluating the agency’s self-assessment manual, community risk analysis, standard of coverage and business plan. The assessment inspects every aspect of Cary’s fire program, including governance and administration, assessment and planning, goals and objectives, financial resources, programs, physical resources, human resources, training and competency, essential resources and external system relationships.

The Cary Fire Department is comprised of 209 full-time employees with a fleet of 15 primary and support vehicles available to respond as needed. The department was originally created in 1921, and until 1960, functioned on an all-volunteer basis with support from the Town and annual fundraisers. Prior to its creation, the Town of Cary relied on the Raleigh Fire Department for its fire and rescue services. For fiscal year 2009, the Cary Fire Department’s annual budget was $16.6 million and the department responded to nearly 7,000 fire and first responder calls. Each year, the Cary Fire Department hosts a week-long fire prevention program, and will expand its services with the new Fire Station 8, set to open fall 2012.

The mission of CFAI is to assist and improve fire and emergency service agencies around the world in achieving organizational and professional excellence through its strategic self-assessment model and accreditation process to provide continuous quality improvement and enhancement of service delivery to the community and the world at large. The CFAI program is a comprehensive self-assessment and evaluation model that enables fire and emergency service organizations to examine past, current and future service levels and performance and compare them to industry best practices.

In addition to its fire department, the Town of Cary’s Police and Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Departments are also nationally accredited.

Cary, North Carolina is well known for the ‘quality of life’ it’s residents enjoy…One of the many aspects of this, is the town’s recreational and sports opportunities for kids and adults. Check out the town’s official Parks and Recreational website. You’ll find that there are so many ways to be involved in an active lifestyle here in Cary…softball, tennis, soccer, volleyball, dancing, fitness classes and much, much more.

This spring  CaryRealEstate.com had the opportunity to sponsor a men’s modified (think stealing bases and faster pitching) softball team.   While the teams’ record showed as many losses as wins (sometimes more) going into the final weeks of the season…they continued to persevere and found the will to win in the playoffs. The team attributed much of their success in the final rounds to a loyal fan, Chris Rivera who’s presence seemed to guarantee a win. He was given a team jersey and implored to be at each game…he came and they won!

So…a proud “thank you” to the guys on the team, to the team coach, Harlen Greene and his wife, Roberta and to Brad Hanes for giving us the chance to sponsor what turned out to be a winning season! You guys rock!

Congratulations to local Cary resident Josh Svoboda & his partners that won $650,000 for their winning Doritos Super Bowl Commercial - “Underdog”!

I was pulling for the group not only because of their local Cary ties but due to my friendship with Josh’s mother Cindy and his brother DJ – I volunteer with both of them at Hope Community Church.

Josh isn’t the only one in the family with creative talent – Josh’s autistic brother DJ travels on a regular basis, sharing his testimony and his story of how he has embraced his autism by creating his very own company – myimagiville.com

The winning commercial was filmed at Cary’s Fred G. Bond Park off High House Road.  The group also won a runner-up spot for ‘Kids These Days” – filmed at Cary’s Waverly Place Shopping Center.

Thanks for Reading our Cary Real Estate Blog. Post Authored By: David Williams

David’s a Licensed North Carolina Realtor & The Voice of CaryRealEstate.com

]]> http://caryrealestate.com/2010/02/09/cary-nc-group-wins-super-bowl-commercial-contest-for-doritos/feed/ 0 http://caryrealestate.com/2010/01/28/american-tobacco-trail-cary-white-oak-park-access/ http://caryrealestate.com/2010/01/28/american-tobacco-trail-cary-white-oak-park-access/#comments Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:41:01 +0000 davidadmin http://caryrealestate.com/?p=5618

What is the American Tobacco Trail?

Over 20 miles of flat trails in place of an old railroad track!

It’s 22 miles of trails running from Cary to Durham – the trails are built over an old abandoned rail road track that dates back to the early 1900′s.    The American Tobacco Trail’s almost perfectly flat – which makes sense when you think of it being where a railroad track used to be – along the trail you will find yourself in tunnels, under highways & on bridges.

The trail is open to walking / running / hiking / bicycle riding and horse back.

One of the American Tobacco Trail public access points is in Cary – on White Oak Church Road – this site which is right around the corner from Cary’s upscale Copperleaf Community, has restrooms and ample parking.  If you haven’t explored the American Tobacco Trail you’re missing out – it’s incredible to think you can start out in Cary and ride your bike 20 plus miles and end up at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park!    A special thank you to the Triangle Rails to Trails Conservatory Organization for their hard work making this dream become a reality – we are truly blessed here in the Cary area with the wonderful parks & trails!

View American Tobacco Trail / White Oak Park on Google Map

Thanks for Reading our Cary Real Estate Blog. Post Authored By: David Williams