Editing Cary, Illinois (section)

==Founding==
In 1841, [[William Dennison Cary]] purchased {{convert|82|acre|ha}} 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, Wisconsin|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.<ref>Craig L. Pfannkuche, [http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/216.html "Cary, Illinois"], Encyclopedia of Chicago, The Newberry Library, 2004</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=History | url=http://www.caryillinois.com/334/History | website=caryillinois.com | access-date=March 29, 2016}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.caryillinois.com/334/History|title=History {{!}} Cary, IL - Official Website|website=www.caryillinois.com|language=en|access-date=November 1, 2017}}</ref> 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. [[U.S. Route 14|Northwest Highway (U.S. 14)]] parallels the railroad right-of-way, which has been the [[Union Pacific Northwest Line|Union Pacific Northwest Metra line]] since the [[Union Pacific Railroad|Union Pacific]] merged with the [[Chicago and North Western Transportation Company|Chicago & North Western]] in 1995.