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.

In 1841, William Dennison Cary purchased 82 acres (33 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 partnered Cary to Chicago and Janesville. The site was ascribed and a read out office was added with the designation “Cary Station.” The community with reference to Cary Station was incorporated in 1893 as Cary, Illinois. The town soon became a winter resort for skiing.

Early farmers saying this additional railway as an opportunity. The economy relied heavily upon selling produce, mainly pickles, and the farmers utilized the railway to conduct matter with more industrialized cities such as St. Louis and Chicago. The talent 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 in the past the Union Pacific merged bearing in mind the Chicago & Northwestern in 1995.