Today's Cary began in 1750 as a settlement called Bradford's Ordinary. About 100 years later, the new railroad between New Bern and Hillsborough went through the town, linking Bradford's Ordinary to a major transportation route. Allison Francis "Frank" Page is credited with founding the town. Page was a Wake County farmer and lumberman. He and his wife, Catherine, bought 300 acres surrounding the railroad junction in 1854 and named his development Cary, after Samuel Fenton Cary (a former Ohio congressman and prohibitionist he admired). Cary was incorporated on April 6, 1871, with Page becoming the first mayor.

In the early years, Cary adopted zoning and other ordinances on an ad-hoc basis to control growth and give the town structure. Beginning in 1971, the town created Planned Unit Development (PUD) zoning to accommodate population growth related to the growth of the Research Triangle Park nearby. A PUD allows a developer to plan an entire community before beginning development, thus allowing future residents to be aware of where churches, schools, commercial and industrial areas will be located well before such use begins. Kildaire Farms, a 967-acre (3.9 km²) Planned Unit Development in Cary, was North Carolina's first PUD.

Lochmere was originally planned during the 1980's. This gives our community the advantage of mature trees throughout, and we work hard to preserve and maintain the value and the natural beauty of our development. With a wide variety of homes, from townhomes to awesome lakefront homes, we are fortunate to benefit from the foresight of the community planners, who were careful to preserve the natural, open feel by including miles of walking paths, water features and parks for all residents to enjoy.