Money's list of America's best small towns


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44. Apex, NC
Apex
WINNER
Top 100 rank: 44
Population: 31,600
Compare Apex to Top 10 Best Places
Apex offers the convenience of a nearby large city (Raleigh), the culture of three nearby universities (Duke, UNC, and NC State), and the charm of a small town. But its biggest draw is its proximity to Research Triangle Park, the home of IBM, Cisco, Merck, and many more of the country's biggest science and technology firms.

Apex has a quaint downtown restored from its days as a railroad stop, but as you move further from the city center, you'll see plenty of modern development. --N.A.

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Apex stats
Median family income
(per year)		 $100,691 $97,441
Job growth %
(2000-2008)*		 41.31% 19.58%
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Median home price $233,000 $262,148
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Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 16.9% 25.6%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 42.7% 28.2%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 13 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 273 19
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 1,945 1,923
High temp in July ° F* 88.8° 85.5°
Low temp in Jan ° F* 30.2° 21.0°
Median age 33.0 36.6
Median family income
(per year)		 $100,691 $97,441
Family purchasing power
(annual, cost-of-living adjusted)		 $98,044 $95,041
State sales tax 4.25% 5.63%
State income tax rate
(highest bracket)		 7.75%I 6.06%
State income tax rate
(lowest bracket)		 6.00%I 3.07%
Auto insurance premiums
(Average price quotes, for the state)		 $1,573 $1,744
Job growth %
(2000-2008)*		 41.31% 19.58%
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Median home price $233,000 $262,148
Average property taxes
(2008)		 $2,390 $3,853
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Colleges, universities and
professional schools (within 30 miles)		 12 20
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 16.9% 25.6%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 42.7% 28.2%
% students attending public/private
schools (located within town limits)		 91.5/8.5 90.1/9.9
Air quality index*
(% of days AQI ranked as good)		 66.0% 78.6%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 13 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 273 19
Median commute time (in minutes) 25.1 22.5
% population with commute
45 mins. or longer		 10.2% 13.8%
% population walk or bike to work 1.4% 2.3%
Movie theaters
(within 15 miles)		 36 24
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 1,945 1,923
Bars
(within 15 miles)		 120 174
Public golf courses
(within 30 miles)		 104 148
Libraries
(within 15 miles)		 35 53
Museums (accredited by AAM;
within 30 miles)		 5 7
Ski resorts (within 100 miles) N.A. 17
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) 1.2 1.2
Annual rainfall
(inches)		 45.69 39.77
% clear days in the area 30 27
High temp in July ° F* 88.8° 85.5°
Low temp in Jan ° F* 30.2° 21.0°
Median age 33.0 36.6
Completed at least some college
(% of residents)		 78.2% 71.9%
Married % 68.1% 62.9%
Divorced % 6.7% 7.7%
Racial diversity index
(100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)		 110.2 58.9
From the August 2009 issue
Notes:
* County data
(3) Crime incidences are estimates based on FBI 2007 Universal Crime and incidence reports, OnBoard analysis.

(I) Income tax notes:
Some states effectively double the bracket widths for joint filers (AL, AZ, CT, HI, ID, KS, LA, ME, NE, NY, OR). CA doubles all bracket widths except the $1,000,000 bracket. Some states increase, but don't double, all or some bracket widths for joint filers (GA, MN, NM, NC, ND, OK, RI, VT, WI). Some states do not adjust their brackets for joint filers (AR, DE, IA, KY, MS, MO, MT, OH, SC, VA, WV, DC). Of these states, some permit married couples to file separately to avoid a marriage penalty, and some allow joint filers to make an adjustment to reduce their tax after it is calculated. MD decreases some of its bracket widths and increases others. NJ adds a 2.45% rate and doubles some bracket widths.
Federal taxable income (AGI less all deductions and exemptions) is the starting point for determining North Carolina taxable income. Filers must make an adjustment on the state return for the difference in the NC and federal personal exemption. For tax year 2008 single filers with income less than $60,000 ($100,000 for married filing jointly) must add $1,000 to their taxable income. If the filer's income is over the applicable threshold $1,500 must be added to their taxable income.
FORTUNE 500
Bank of America Corp. 11
Lowe's 47
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How we picked the Best Places
Using statistics from data provider Onboard Informatics, we crunched the numbers in order to zero in on America's best small towns for families. (Last year, we looked at small cities, with populations between 50,000 and 300,000.) More

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