North Carolina
Cary
Population: 122,574
Labor force: 66,537
Startups per 1,000 people: 3.39
Small business per 1,000 people: 36
What to know about starting up in Cary:
"Part of the secret of the success of Cary has been the massive, rapid growth that has come from Research Triangle Park. Everything has sort of been maintained in an effort to keep the downtown vibrant, and I think more so than ever towns are starting to realize the importance of a nuclear center for the town. Cary really began as a bedroom community, and it was serving employment needs of people who worked in Research Triangle, state government, or downtown Raleigh, but the town literally in the last 20 to 30 years has transformed into an employment base itself."
-Paul Ashworth, owner of family-owned pharmacy Ashworth Drugs
