About Homes for Rent in Apex, NC

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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 streetscape 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.

We invite you to join the hundreds of newcomers discovering our delightful small town ideally located in southwestern Wake County. Even though new residents relocate to Apex daily, we have maintained the small town character which is so unique in the rapidly-growing Research Triangle Area.

History

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.

apex1 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.

Attractions and Activities

Historic Downtown Apex
Salem Street North of Hwy 55

New Hope Valley Railway apex4
5121 Daisy St
New Hill, NC 27562
(919) 362-5416

Parks and Recreation

Apex Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources sponsor a variety of special events each year.
• Easter Egg Hunt
• Old Fashioned 4th of July
• Turkey Trot 5k Run
• PeakFest

For details on upcoming events please visit: Upcoming Events.
Please visit Apex Parks for a complete list of community parks.