Name: Town of Cary

[Wuptdo]

In a few more days, the Town of Cary will recieve national recognition. A fact the N&O seem to ignore (page 3 of City section). However, with over 100,000 people living in our little bit of Heaven (or hell if you live in Dutchman Downs or Medfield), is Cary still a town? What do you think?

Wuptdo

We do what we must, and call it by the best names we can.
Ralph W. Emerson (1844)

[Brent]

There is no statutory authority that relates population to names like villages, towns or cities. The municipality gets to call itself what it wants. Cary incorporated as a town and will remain a town unless/until council changes its mind.

That said, I think Cary is more like what most people think of as a city rather than a town. I suppose "town" sounds more quaint and conjures up visions of a small, friendly place with a general store. :)

And just think of the renaming they'd have to do: City Center Area Plan, City Center Review Commission, City Clerk, City Council, City Hall, maybe even the Citye Centre Mall. :)

[SteveG]

Cary is the largest-population municipality in the USA to call itself anything other than a city.

The answer to the question may depend on whether or not Caryites want outsiders to make accurate assumptions about the size of Cary from the word used to describe it.

Then again, I think it really comes down to denial.

[Don]

IMHO I don't know that it really matters if Cary calls itself a town or city. We are what we are. Personally I believe we are a city, but I also like the sound of "town" for some of the reasons listed above but in any event, what does it matter?

The costs involved with changing "town" to "city" aren't worth the trouble. I personally would have a BIG problem spending thousands of taxpayer dollars just to make a name change so "town" works just fine for me!

[Brent]

Hmm, why is it that there's a "village idiot" but not a "town idiot" or a "city idiot"? Or a "town drunk" but not a "village drunk" or a "city drunk"?

P.S. Please control yourselves and refrain from naming who is qualified to fill these positions. It's just an observation. Yes, I'm sure the town/city of Cary has plenty of both. :lol:

[SteveG]

Hmm, why is it that there's a "village idiot" but not a "town idiot" or a "city idiot"? Or a "town drunk" but not a "village drunk" or a "city drunk"?


A village is big enough to have one idiot. A Town or city will have many.

A town is big enough to have one drunk. A city will have many.

In Cary, it seems that every block or cul de sac has at least one Ph.D....

[kellyc]

Uh oh Steve...you better stop. I MIGHT start to think you have a sense of humor.

Kelly

[SteveG]

Uh oh Steve...you better stop. I MIGHT start to think you have a sense of humor.


A frequent poster in another forum, who knew me only by what I write, remarked that I "have the personality of a dentist." I think this is just my writing style on political issues, as I am much different when speaking, where I am less likely to censor myself.

BTW, my neighbors, who insist on calling me "Doc" instead of "Steve", have a drinking game they play with me. While watching P&Z meetings on cable access, they have to drink every time somebody says "pedestrian" or "bicyclist". I take some pride in being one of the strangest people on the block....

[dhyatt]

Uh oh Steve...you better stop. I MIGHT start to think you have a sense of humor.


A frequent poster in another forum, who knew me only by what I write, remarked that I "have the personality of a dentist." I think this is just my writing style on political issues, as I am much different when speaking, where I am less likely to censor myself.

BTW, my neighbors, who insist on calling me "Doc" instead of "Steve", have a drinking game they play with me. While watching P&Z meetings on cable access, they have to drink every time somebody says "pedestrian" or "bicyclist". I take some pride in being one of the strangest people on the block....

You never should have told me that... :wink:

[Brent]

A village is big enough to have one idiot. A Town or city will have many.

I will take my own advice and refrain from naming names, but clearly, this must be true! :lol:

[Brent]

BTW, my neighbors, who insist on calling me "Doc" instead of "Steve", have a drinking game they play with me. While watching P&Z meetings on cable access, they have to drink every time somebody says "pedestrian" or "bicyclist". I take some pride in being one of the strangest people on the block....

Well, "Doc", :) given the discussion at most P&Z meetings, we now know where to look for the town drunk(s)! :lol:

[Brent]

You never should have told me that... :wink:

Minutes from the next P&Z meeting:

Mr. Hyatt asked about accommodating pedestrians and bicyclists. He requested that pedestrians and bicyclists be accommodated. He noted that the area has many pedestrians and bicyclists and explained that pedestrians are people who walk and bicyclists are people who ride on bicycles. He also noted that he is a part-time pedestrian and bicyclist. He observed that many other people are pedestrians or bicyclists at one time or another. He cited Lance Armstrong as a noted bicyclist and said that he found the building design to be "just a bit pedestrian".

[kellyc]

I guess Steve kind of "WALKED RIGHT INTO" That one. Kind of gave us a green light.

Kelly

[Brent]

I guess Steve kind of "WALKED RIGHT INTO" That one. Kind of gave us a green light.

Kelly

No, he bicycled into it.

[kellyc]

Well he does prefer to choose his own form on transportation. Hand slapped Steve. No one has the right to tell you what kind of transportation to use.


Kelly

[Brent]

Well he does prefer to choose his own form on transportation. Hand slapped Steve. No one has the right to tell you what kind of transportation to use.


Kelly

I read in the latest Cary Politics News that he's getting a monster SUV!

[kellyc]

Ewww maybe he can have a balding Don Hyatt Ornament hood. Don can get in the shape of the Hulk. What do you think Steve?

Kelly

[Don]

BTW, my neighbors, who insist on calling me "Doc" instead of "Steve", have a drinking game they play with me. While watching P&Z meetings on cable access, they have to drink every time somebody says "pedestrian" or "bicyclist". I take some pride in being one of the strangest people on the block....

With you on P+Z, they must go through a keg every night! :wink:
Party at Steve's neighbors!

[SteveG]

Party at Steve's neighbors!

The original drinking word was "buffer" but nobody could keep up with that....

[Brent]

The original drinking word was "buffer" but nobody could keep up with that....

...and then they tried the phrase "Staff recommends denial", but everyone nearly died of thirst.

[johnb]

"A village is big enough to have one idiot. A Town or city will have many."

In the city of Cary we provide ours with elective or appointed political offices. Bada Bing.

[johnb]

The truly mentally handicapped, however, have staff positions.

Anyway....I always refer to it as the City Council, City Hall, etc...I do agree with Don though, it ain't worth the cost to change the name. I just prefer irritating the Fascists on Staff.

[Brent]

I do agree with Don though, it ain't worth the cost to change the name.

But if we did, we could not only change "Town" to "City" but we could also change "Cary" to something else..."City of Beige", "City of Public Art", "Buffer City", "QualityOfLifesville", "Land Grab City"...the possibilities are endless!

[johnb]

...or we could be "artistic" and by "artistic" I mean worthless pieces of human debris....and refer to it as "the place formerly known as Cary".

[BobC]

Maybe if we had some or all of the following we should be called a sure enough city:

A daily newspaper
A television station
A radio station
A public swimming pool
A public golf course
A Court
More postal outlets
A bus route
Pedestrian friendly intersections
Etc.

Until then we are destined to be an overgrown bedroom community, but a pretty nice one.

[SteveG]

Maybe if we had some or all of the following we should be called a sure enough city:

A daily newspaper
A television station
A radio station
A public swimming pool
A public golf course
A Court
More postal outlets
A bus route
Pedestrian friendly intersections
Etc.

Until then we are destined to be an overgrown bedroom community, but a pretty nice one.

In Olden Times (was that before or after the Days of Yore?) in England a town had to have a cathedral to be called a city. That was all.

The intersections were reasonably pedestrian friendly if you didn't step in horse droppings.

Cary churches are the size of small cathedrals, but I cannot think of a Cary church that is called a cathedral. Anyone?

I like the idea of dropping the name Cary altogether, and just calling it The City(tm).

[Cathy]

The intersections were reasonably pedestrian friendly if you didn't step in horse droppings.


I like the idea of dropping the name Cary altogether, and just calling it The City(tm).


I think being run over by a horse cart was a real threat also

"The City" ___seems real appropriate.

Cathy

[Brent]

...or we could be "artistic" and by "artistic" I mean worthless pieces of human debris....and refer to it as "the place formerly known as Cary".

Yeah, we could invent some nonsensical, unpronounceable "symbol" to represent the town/city.

[Brent]

Maybe if we had some or all of the following we should be called a sure enough city:

A daily newspaper We USED to have a twice-a-week paper...
A television station What about Cable channel 11? :lol:
A radio station The broadcast tower would have to be made to look like a fake tree.
A public swimming pool Aquatics palace! Aquatics palace! :lol:
A public golf course I think that Wood's Hole mini-golf shut down. If we had a public golf course, Jack Smith might not go to Ireland so often.
A Court How about a courtyard? The town is putting one of those at Town Hall...
More postal outlets Those UPS stores are popping up all over town! :lol:
A bus route We got CTran! :lol:
Pedestrian friendly intersections I hear that it's fairly easy to cross Academy St., to get from The Chamber to the Mayor's office... :lol:

[Brent]

I like the idea of dropping the name Cary altogether, and just calling it The City(tm).

Too wordy. How about just "City". :lol:

[SteveG]

Yeah, we could invent some nonsensical, unpronounceable "symbol" to represent the town/city.

Don't we already have one? The sculpture in front of SAS?

[Brent]

Yeah, we could invent some nonsensical, unpronounceable "symbol" to represent the town/city.

Don't we already have one? The sculpture in front of SAS?

Indeed! Or the sculpture in front of The Chamber. Or in front of [insert your favorite landmark with a weird sculpture in front of it here].

[johnb]

"Don't we already have one?"

Yes, It would have to be performance art, the Brooklyn salute, followed by a an annoyling Fran Drescher-like damnYankee accent nasally intoning the phrase "That's not the way we did it in New York!"