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.
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.
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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.)
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