Apex called N.C.'s No. 1 small town
 

Staff Photo by Scott Sharpe Kim Jenkins, 13, of Durham searches for gemstones while panning at Panner's Creek in Apex. Apex is filled with activities such as Peak Week in the spring and the Fall festival in October and at Christmas, the Apex Historical Society offers a tour of homes.

By KYLE YORK SPENCER, Staff Writer, The Raleigh News & Observer, June 1998

      APEX -- With its quaint downtown and ambitious plans for a new town hall, Apex shows the residents relish the traditional.
     Nearly 10,000 people live here, in a place that is fondly referred to as North Carolina's No. 1 small town.
     Located at the junction of U.S. 1, U.S. 64 and N.C. 55 in southwestern Wake County, Apex has grown rapidly along with the steady increase in new jobs at Research Triangle Park.
     Yet, development has not encroached upon Apex's charm. Residents and town officials remain committed to keeping the community small in scale and classic in style. In October, the town Board of Commissioners agreed to buy a 7-acre cornfield -- complete with a stately Southern house -- that they hope to transform into a picturesque Town Hall campus within walking distance of the current Town Hall.
     Other town attractions include an extensive greenway system for its residents to leisurely stroll, ride bicycles or skate, and the Eva Perry Library, one of the newest in Wake County's system, which is dowU.S. 64, a few miles from downtown.
     Another of the town's attractions is the Peak Week celebration, sponsored every spring by the Chamber of Commerce, which features gospel sings, dinners, barbecues and a wide variety of entertainment. A similar occasion, Fall Festival, is held in October, and, at Christmas time, the Apex Historical Society offers a homes tour.