Apex (/ˈeɪ.pɛks/) is a town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States.

The depot location marks the highest point on the old Chatham Railroad, hence the town's name.

The Research Triangle Park, established in the 1960s, created strong demand for technology workers.

At the highest point of the line, which railroad workers dubbed the "apex of the grade", existed a pond.

A community began to grow around the stop, which the railroad workers called Apex.

[8] Apex grew slowly through the succeeding decades, despite several devastating fires, including a June 12, 1911, conflagration that destroyed most of the downtown business district.

Apex suffered mild setbacks during the Great Depression era, but growth began again in earnest in the 1950s.

[11] In October 2006, a chemical explosion and fire in a waste-processing facility prompted the evacuation of over 16,000 residents.

[13][14] In 2009, a federal court approved a $7.85M settlement to compensate Apex residents affected by the disaster.

[15] In 2015, Apex was named the number-one place to live in America, according to Money magazine.

The council members, in order of tenure, are: Brett D. Gantt (2017), Audra M. Killingsworth (2017), Terry J. Mahaffey (2019), Ed Gray (2021), and Arno Zegerman (2023).

In the North Carolina Senate, Apex is represented by Sydney Batch (district 17).

[30] Emergency, primary, and specialist care is provided at the WakeMed Apex Healthplex.