4 TOP Living in APEX NC Pros and Cons!

March 2, 2024

Wondering what’s it’s like living in Apex NC?  Apex NC is one of Raleigh’s most popular suburbs, and was previously named as THE best place to live in the country.  There are so many things to love about living in Apex NC, but there are also some aspects that cause people to stay away.  

 


Starting with the Pros of living in Apex NC, Pro #4 involves Apex’s excellent food and drink scene!

PRO #4 – Food and Drink Scene

The food and drink scene starts in Apex’s historic downtown, which is a cute space to enjoy an afternoon.  Stop by Anna’s Pizzeria for some New York Style Pizza, and the area’s staple Salem Street Pub for great drinks and burgers!

Outside of downtown, there a tons of local and family owned restaurants to try.  Get some seafood or BBQ at Skipper’s Fish Fry, or great Italian at Daniels Restaurant, and Doherty’s Irish Pub is the perfect spot to scratch your Irish itch!

Apex also has some great breweries, such as Southern Peak Brewery near downtown.

Moving on, Pro #3 of living in Apex NC is the family friendly atmosphere of Apex.


Apex NC Event
Apex NC Event

 

PRO #3 – Family Friendly & Events

Many families choose to call Apex home, as the town has a lot to offer families and does a great job putting on events.

Apex has an amazing park system, especially for kids, that will keep the family entertained.  More on this is a bit.

But beyond the parks, Apex puts on many events throughout the year.  Salem Street, which runs through downtown, is host to 4th of July, Halloween and Christmas events, and the town also holds an annual Peak Fest Celebration.

There are also outdoor music and move series held during the summers at Apex’s Nature Park.

Apex is also in the Wake County Public School system, and is known to have good schools for all age levels.  

Next up, Apex NC is in a great location within the Raleigh area.


PRO #2 – Location

Apex is just SouthWest of Raleigh, and sandwiched between Cary and Holly Springs.  You’re able to enjoy the best parts of Cary and Holly Springs in just minutes time, and it’s a short drive into Raleigh.

You’re less than 25 minutes to downtown Raleigh, 20-25 minutes to RTP, and 25 minutes to the RDU International Airport.  However, these commute times can change depending on when you’re traveling, more on that in a bit.

You’re close to some major shopping centers both within Apex itself like Beaver Creek Commons, and those in Cary and Raleigh, like Cary Crossroads and Crabtree Valley Mall.

So that brings us to our #1 Pro about living in Apex NC, which is its’ Outdoor Recreation.


Pleasant Park - Apex NC
Pleasant Park Apex NC

 

PRO #1 – Outdoor Recreation

Apex has some top notch parks, and my favorite is it’s Apex Community Park, which has multiple baseball and softball fields, a playground for the kids, a really cool fitness course, and a walking trail around the BEAUTIFUL Apex Lake.  

It’s also situated right next to Jordan Lake, and pretty close to Harris Lake as well, for those who want to enjoy the freshwater.  

For the kids, Kelly Road Park is SO much fun, designed as a wooden castle and it also has tennis and pickle ball courts too.  Hunter Street Park is another cool space located in downtown Apex that has multiple sport fields, a playground, but also a popular skate park!

But Apex NC’s newest park, called Pleasant Park, located on the west side of town is absolutely amazing.  It has an amazing playground, top notch soccer fields, and has space for future baseball fields as well.

So those are some of the best parts about living in Apex NC, but let’s get into some of the things that give people pause.

Starting with #4, portions of Apex are within close proximity to a nuclear power plant.


Con #4 – Proximity to Nuclear Power Plant

Duke Energy, the area’s main electrical utility, has its’ Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant just west of Apex, which puts the much of the town within the 10 mile radius that is known by the utility as the emergency planning zone.

This means that if there were ever an emergency at the power plant, those within the 10 mile radius would be the first that would require action.  You may also hear testing of the sirens that happen every few months, which are communicated in advance to avoid unnecessary alarm.  

While this may sound scary at first, nuclear power plants are ALL over the country and so many people live within these zones.  They have incredibly stringent regulations for safety, and it’s a clean and reliable source of power.  

Personally, I know quite a few people who have worked at the plant or for Duke Energy, and I wouldn’t hesitate to live within the zone myself.  

Next up, there’s minimal space in Apex NC for new development.


Downtown Apex NC
Downtown Apex NC

 

Con #3 – Minimal New Construction Space

Apex has been around for quite some time, but has really expanded within the past 15 years.  There has been quite a bit of new development of both neighborhoods and shopping centers, but it’s starting to run out of space.

If you’re looking for new construction homes with larger square footages and lot sizes, Apex doesn’t have many of these communities currently available in comparison to other suburbs that are still in the expanding phase like Wake Forest and Holly Springs.  

What Apex does have are some excellent, well established neighborhoods as well as some more master planned communities built within the past 10 years.  

You will find some new construction communities popping up as well just outside city limits that have more of the master planned community feel.

Moving into our next Con on living in Apex NC, #2 is that Apex NC is expensive.


Bella Casa - Apex NC
Bella Casa Apex NC

 

Con #2 – Expensive

Similar to Cary, Apex is right up there as one of THE most expensive places to live in the greater Raleigh area.  

Apex’s average home price of $630k is just below Cary’s, and it’s cost of living is 13% above the national average, mostly due to the higher prices for housing.  

Apex is a very popular place to live, and has been for some time, so naturally, the high demand will drive higher prices.  

Moving on to the reason that Apex residents complain about the most, is the traffic along its’ major roadways.


Con #1 – Traffic Along Major Roadways

Apex is surrounded by the major roadways of US-1, US-64 and I-540, and has HWY 55 running right through it.  

Many people who live in Apex work in RTP or Raleigh, and that is also true for those living in the parts of Cary and Holly Springs that surround Apex.  

This leaves a large number of commuters using US-1 to commute, creating some major backups during rush hour.  

Hwy 55 running through town connects US-1 to Apex, Holly Springs, and even Fuquay-Varina, and the traffic on this roadway can be even worse than US-1.  

If you plan on living in Apex NC and need to commute, I would suggest commuting outside of rush hour or look for some back road options that may be longer, but less frustrating to drive on.  

Apex is amazing and a very popular place to call home.  While no town is without some issues, many people find that the pros of living in Apex NC outweigh the cons.

For more information on the area, please check out our other blogs on the best neighborhoods in apex and everything you need to know about Apex.

Please reach out via the contact information below if you need assistance finding your next home in Apex NC, or anywhere in the greater Raleigh area.


Please reach out via our contact information below:

Phone:  919-504-5265

Email:  Alison@thewgroupraleigh.com

Website:  www.thewgroupraleigh.com


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