History of Apex
Apex, North Carolina is five miles SW of Cary, North Carolina (center to center) and 12 miles W of Raleigh, North Carolina. It is within Wake county. The area is a member of the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill metro area. The population of Apex is 20,212. Apex was integrated as a city in 1873. It was named Apex simply because it is the highest point on the Chatham Railroad, from Moncure, NC to Cary, NC. Apex Union Depot, which currently houses the Apex Chamber of Commerce, was initially a station for the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. Soon after, it also functioned as the Apex Community Library.
Apex sustained minor challenges during the Depression-era, but development started again in earnest in the 1950s. The town’s proximity to North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park spurred further residential improvement, yet the city was able to preserve its small-town personality. During the 1990s, the town’s populace quadrupled to over 20,000, setting new demands upon Apex’s infrastructure. Apex has continuing to develop in recent years. A big shopping center was constructed at the intersection of Highway 55 and US 64, and numerous new neighborhoods have already been built as the town develops toward the west.