Residents enjoy shopping and socializing in Apex's historic downtown, which plays host to events like a jazz festival and the Peak City Pig Fest. For more outdoor fun, there's the 400 acres of parks, baseball diamonds, and tennis courts.

The town has a range of affordable homes and is still growing, with residential building permits up 60% in the first quarter of 2013 compared with 2012.

Apex's growing population means, though, that while the schools still outperform many in the state, they've become more crowded. (A new high school is slated to open in 2015.) A new toll road has shrunk the roundtrip drive to the Research Triangle by 40 minutes but costs $3.66. --Taylor Tepper