Cary is a village located in Algonquin Township, McHenry County, Illinois, and Cuba Township, Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 17,826.
History
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 which connected Cary to Chicago and Janesville. 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.
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 transportation enterprise helped transform Cary into the suburban community it is today. People traveled by rail and most commerce became dependent on the railroad.
In the 1950s, highway transportation overtook rail as the primary means of moving people and goods. Northwest Highway (U.S. 14) parallels the railroad right-of-way, which has been the Union Pacific Northwest Metra line since the Union Pacific merged with the Chicago & North Western in 1995.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, Cary has a total area of , of which (or 98.62%) is land and (or 1.38%) is water. It is located on the Fox River.