What is the difference between Cary & Apex? (Raleigh: mortgage, vacation)

[Charlton Dude]

There is virtually no way you would know if you were in Apex or if you were in Cary. They are basically twin towns. Cary is a little more established with many more retail options. If you like one town you will like the other. The commute to work would be what I base my decision on.

[Jackie Holland Willis Jr]

I like it here in Cary. Where I am is kind of quiet but peaceful. Overpriced but Im not afraid of getting stabbed or shot on my way out to the car either!!
We chose our location due to our 4 yo son being safe. No price on that!!

[Charlton Dude]

Originally Posted by Jackie Holland Willis Jr

I like it here in Cary. Where I am is kind of quiet but peaceful. Overpriced but Im not afraid of getting stabbed or shot on my way out to the car either!!
We chose our location due to our 4 yo son being safe. No price on that!!

Apex is safe, also. Do you feel there is an issue with safety in Apex?

[I'minformed2]

Originally Posted by Jackie Holland Willis Jr

I like it here in Cary. Where I am is kind of quiet but peaceful. Overpriced but Im not afraid of getting stabbed or shot on my way out to the car either!!
We chose our location due to our 4 yo son being safe. No price on that!!

So you think people in Apex have to be affraid of getting stabbed or shot?

[Jackie Holland Willis Jr]

no no no.. I was just stating what I thought about Cary.

[5Disneyfans]

Ok forgive my ignorance..I am a NY'er trying to learn all I can.

But if Cary & Apex are twin towns with the same schools, why is Apex more afforadable??? Is it location because they seem very close to Raleigh or is there something else that makes Cary more expensive.

I have seen a few houses on line in Apex that look wonderful & am hesitatant since I live by the saying "you get what you pay for"

Thanks again, this board is very helpful.

[bonnielisabeth]

I found Cary to have better services during times of bad weather--during the ice storms we never lost power and they city usually had better road preparations for any snow or ice compared to other areas around it. This is one of the reasons we decided to buy there!

[Fyzbo]

Sometimes I feel as though locations within Cary have more differences then Cary vs Apex. You can get a very different feel from the different parts of Cary, tree lined wooded areas, manicured suberbia, golf course living, etc.

I don't think there is enough difference to make it worth excluding either. I based my move on location and I would recommend doing the same. Figure out where you can be located with an acceptable commute, then go visit the different communities/houses to see which you like.

[Funky Chicken]

Originally Posted by 5Disneyfans

Ok forgive my ignorance..I am a NY'er trying to learn all I can.

But if Cary & Apex are twin towns with the same schools, why is Apex more afforadable??? Is it location because they seem very close to Raleigh or is there something else that makes Cary more expensive.

I have seen a few houses on line in Apex that look wonderful & am hesitatant since I live by the saying "you get what you pay for"

Thanks again, this board is very helpful.

I hope the following doesn't confuse you even more!

Be careful on Realtor.com about which town a home is listed in-here's why.
The Apex zipcode 27502 is Apex "proper"-the downtown area and the main residential component of Apex (Olive Chapel Road area, Haddon Hall, etc.)
The Apex zipcode 27539 serves a portion of Apex but also areas of Cary, Fuquay-Varina and unincorporated areas of the County.
Here is an example-the Brighton Forest neighborhood is served by the Apex 27539 zipcode, but it is in Fuquay-Varina town limits. Brighton Forest is nowhere NEAR the central 27502 portions of Apex-to get to what most people would call the true "center" of Apex from Brighton Forest you have to drive over 10 miles, passing thru a little piece of Cary, a little piece of Holly Springs, a section of road in an unincorporated section of the county, and then back into Cary before arriving in Apex. Got it?
Taxes are confusing, too. If I live in Brighton Forest, my taxes are paid to the town of Fuquay-Varina even though my address says Apex 27539. My tax rate would be .919 per 100 of property valuation. If I live 2 miles away in The Park at West Lake, my taxes are paid to the town of CARY even though I have the same Apex 27539 address as my friend in Brighton Forest (who REALLY lives in FUQUAY-VARINA!)-my tax rate is .864 per 100 of property valuation. 2 Miles further up the road is Sunset Oaks in Holly Springs, where the tax rate is .949 per 100 of property valuation.
The point here is that neither the Town named in the listing or the zipcode serving an address really gives you a sense of either WHERE a home is located or WHICH TOWN you pay your taxes to and receive services from.
My 9 mile commute from Cary to Cary takes me past very expensive neighborhoods that aren't within ANY town limits-those people only pay taxes to the county at a rate of .534 per 100 of valuation, but they have to provide for their own garbage pickup, water/sewer fees, and the like. Many of those neighborhoods have a Raleigh 27606 mailing address, but are not in Raleigh at all.
A realtor.com search of Apex 27539 at a price point of $300K to $350K will pull up 22 listings. Of those-8 are in Cary, 10 are in Fuquay, 4 are in unincorporated areas, and NONE are actually in Apex.

[I'minformed2]

^ That is good advice, when searching in Apex make sure it in the zipcodes of 27502 or 27523. One of my favorite neighborhoods in Apex was Walden Creek...which is very pretty, newish (late 90's-2000) while still having a very established feel...and it probably has the most convenient locaiton in the town...connecting to both highway 64 AND highway 55 and is within walking distance of Beaver Creek Crossing....the new major commercial hub of Apex. Cary is more expensive because there is more public landscaping throughout the town and because it is the town that get listed in all of the magazines..in all seriousness, with the excption of a slightly shorter (depending on where you are in Cary and where you work) commute...there is really no advantage to living in Cary over Apex.