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Small city

Living in Cary, IL

Cary is a small city of 17,923 people in McHenry County, Illinois. It's about 32 miles from Kenosha, WI and 39 miles from Chicago, IL, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 83°F and winter highs 30°F, with about 36 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $310k and rent runs about $1k a month.

17,923people
$310kTypical home
$1,428/moRent
83° / 30°Summer / winter
36"Snow
224Sunny days
119Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Small city of 17,923
  • Part of a metro area
  • About 2,746 people per sq mi
  • 39 mi to Chicago, IL
  • 32 mi to Kenosha, WI
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $310k (≈$1,954/mo)
  • Median rent $1,428/mo
  • Median household income $113k
  • Property tax about 2.6% of value
  • 5.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 83°F
  • Winter highs around 30°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
  • 224 sunny days a year (73 totally clear)
  • 141 cloudy days a year
  • 46 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 119 days a year with rain or snow
  • 36" of snow a year
  • 12 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 31 nights a year below 10°F
  • Windier than most places

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (46 per 100k)
  • Very low property crime (371 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 39
  • 35% of households have kids
  • 14% are 65 or older
  • 44% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 6% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 32 min
  • 4% walk or take transit to work
  • 24 mi to ORD airport
  • 24 mi to ORD (major hub)
  • 25 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 92% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1985
  • 98% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 837 ft
  • 629 mi to the ocean
  • 22 mi to a big lake
  • Trailhead in town
  • 14 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 2 mi to the nearest campground
  • 160 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 1,989 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 258 bars within 25 mi
  • 529 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 3 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 74 museums within 25 mi
  • 18 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 11 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 38% of Illinois districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 4 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 6 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • Vet in town
  • Dog park in town
  • 3 congregations per 10k people
  • 10 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • McHenry County: R+5 in 2024
  • Illinois: D+11 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • High tornado risk
  • Very low wildfire risk
  • Very low earthquake risk
  • Low flood risk
  • Very low drought risk
  • Moderate winter storm risk
  • Low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Cary

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