Carolina Preserve

Carolina Preserve is the premier Del Webb 55+ active adult community in Cary, North Carolina, built between 2006 and 2014 by Pulte/Del Webb and winner of the 2019 Community Excellence Award from the Community Associations Institute. Located in the heart of the Research Triangle — centered between Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill — the community sits on gently rolling wooded hills with approximately 1,360 single-family and villa homes, most within Chatham County and a smaller portion in Wake County. Life here revolves around Bradford Hall, a 34,000+ square-foot resort-style clubhouse that functions as the social and fitness hub of the community. Inside you'll find a state-of-the-art fitness center, a saline indoor lap/wellness pool that also hosts water aerobics, a grand ballroom, demonstration kitchen, billiards room, library, locker rooms, dedicated pottery studio with kiln, dance and aerobics studio, arts & crafts rooms, photography space, card and game rooms, and a sunlit lounge area. Outside, Bradford Hall overlooks a resort-style outdoor pool with beach entry and spa, four Har-Tru clay tennis courts where residents compete in USTA senior leagues, two outdoor pickleball courts, four year-round turf bocce courts with shaded seating, a chipping and putting green, and a scenic 15-acre lake. Five pocket parks, ponds for fishing, and miles of walking and biking trails wind throughout the community and connect directly into the 22+ mile American Tobacco Trail. What really defines Carolina Preserve is its social density. The community supports over 120 resident-led clubs and interest groups — from mah jongg, poker, and a dozen card clubs to bocce, tennis, pickleball, golf, pottery, photography, genealogy, dance, yoga, cooking, ladies' and men's breakfast groups, travel and day-trip committees, book clubs, and continuing-education groups. A full-time Lifestyles Department and on-site activities director keep Bradford Hall programmed seven days a week with classes, performances, dances, parties, and charity events. With roughly 2,300 residents, new arrivals consistently describe the neighborhood culture as unusually welcoming — the "neighbors bring food" kind of community. Homes are resale-only (construction is complete) and range from about 1,217 to 3,500+ square feet, with two to four bedrooms, two to three-and-a-half baths, and attached two-car garages. Floor plans include ranch-style homes and Kenwood-style villas, with optional lofts, bonus rooms, dens, and basements. Exteriors are a mix of brick and vinyl siding, and most homes are single-story designed for low-maintenance, aging-in-place living. HOA dues (roughly $200–$300/month depending on section and home type) cover lawn and landscape maintenance, common grounds, and professional management through Kuester Management Group and FirstService Residential. Carolina Preserve is one of seven neighborhoods inside the larger Amberly master-planned community, so residents also have access to the 12,000 sq-ft Amberly Residents Club — which adds a Jr. Olympic pool, kids' pool, aquatic center, fitness center, outdoor amphitheater, basketball court, and event lawn to the amenity mix. Location-wise, the community sits just off Highway 55 near Green Level Church Road and Carpenter Fire Station Road in west Cary, putting RDU International Airport, Research Triangle Park, Duke University Hospital, UNC Healthcare, WakeMed Cary, Jordan Lake, and Crossroads Plaza all within roughly 10–25 minutes. For anyone prioritizing a genuinely active social calendar, top-tier healthcare access, and a well-established Del Webb operation in a temperate Mid-Atlantic climate, Carolina Preserve is one of the most complete 55+ packages in the Southeast.