Apex, NC

Located in southwestern Wake County, Apex combines a relaxing small-town atmosphere with convenience to big-city amenities. It is positioned for future growth and the town planners are working to ensure that the small-town character remains while allowing for many new residents to join our community.

In 2007, Apex was named the 14th Best Place to Live in the USA by Money Magazine. In 1994 Apex was named the state’s #1 Small Town in economic vitality by Business North Carolina magazine.

A major street-scape renovation project has restored Apex’s downtown and recaptured its historic flavor. The revitalized downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places as one of the best examples of an intact turn-of-the-century railroad town.

Join the hundreds of newcomers discovering the delightful small town ideally located in southwestern Wake County. Even though new residents relocate to Apex daily, it has maintained the small town character which is so unique in the rapidly-growing Research Triangle Area.

History of Apex

The Apex downtown reflects the town’s rich historical beginning. Apex was first settled around 1867 and was incorporated in 1873. The name “Apex” was adopted because the community was the highest point on the Chatham Railroad between Richmond, Virginia and Jacksonville, Florida.

The Apex railroad station was first chartered in 1854 “for the purpose of affecting a communication between the North Carolina Railroad Company (at Raleigh) and the coal fields of Chatham County.” Because of the war and problems with Reconstruction, the first locomotive did not pass through Apex until 1869. Since the Apex station was located in the heart of a vast pine forest, it became a shipping point for forest products such as tar, turpentine and lumber.

A community soon developed around the station. Stores and warehouses were built and many of the large forests in the area were converted to farmlands. Before long, Apex became an active trading and shopping center. When the disease known as the Granville Wilt ran many tobacco farmers out of Person and Granville counties at the turn of the century, these farmers found land around Apex to be equally suitable for tobacco production and settled here. The first Wake County tobacco auction market was established in Apex in 1905.

The Apex town motto, “Peak of Good Living” is appropriate for a number of historical reasons. Not only was the town named for being the highest point on the Chatham Railroad, but in places along the main street of Apex, water which falls on one side of the street flows to the Neuse River, and on the other side flows to the Cape Fear River.

In 1912, the Apex Town Hall was built on the Corner of Salem and Templeton, the building served many other needs over the years including housing the Police Station, jail, farmer’s market, the firehouse (in the rear), a ticket office and once provided a second floor gathering place for teenagers to meet and dance.  By 1913, the 100 block of Salem Street was rebuilt with pressed-brick front stores and, in 1914, the Union Depot was rebuilt.

The population of Apex had grown to 1,000 by 1920 but the tobacco market declined during the ‘20s and by the 1930 census the population had dropped to 863.  The great economic depression of the ‘30s hit Apex hard and, by 1934, only four train stops were made at the Apex depot.

Apex remained a sleepy little town into the early 1960s when the nearby Research Triangle Park was established and began to attract high-tech firms from throughout the world.  Apex began to boom, along with the rest of the Triangle, and by 1990 the population reached 5,000.  The town experienced unprecedented growth during the 1990s as technology-driven industry continued to move into the area.  Money Magazine name ranked Apex #14 as one of the best places to live in the USA in 2007 and by 2008, the population of Apex has zoomed to more than 34,000.

The Small Town Character Overlay Zoning District passed in 2006 to help maintain the character of the heart of Apex, the Downtown and surrounding residential neighborhoods.  The Town offers façade grants and a reduction of capacity fees for businesses locating in the Central Business District. A major streetscape renovation project has restored Apex’s downtown and recaptured its historic flavor and the old Town Hall was renovated and has become the award-winning Halle Cultural Arts Center.  The downtown and surrounding neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as one of the best examples of an intact turn-of-the-century railroad town in North Carolina.  The National Register Historic District has commercial and residential buildings that date to the late 1800s and represent a wide variety of architectural styles.

Population and Demographics

Median Family Income: $78,689
Per Capita Income: $28,727
Median Age: 31.2 years
Education: 96%
College Grad: 58.8%

Climate

Mild Humid-Subtropical with average temperatures and precipitation as follows:

• Temperatures: January (40 F)…April (60 F)… July (78 F)….October (60 F)
• Average Annual Precipitation: 44.75 inches

Average Annual Snowfall: 7 inches