{"id":686,"date":"2026-05-21T15:06:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T15:06:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=686"},"modified":"2026-05-21T15:06:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T15:06:24","slug":"2-triangle-towns-rank-among-the-nations-best-places-to-live-why-they-stand-out-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=686","title":{"rendered":"2 Triangle towns rank among the nation\u2019s best places to live. Why they stand out"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

Whether you love exploring a local park or unwinding at your favorite brewery, there\u2019s lots to love in the Triangle.<\/p>\n

Read more How Chapel Hill will use parking to keep a homegrown robotics company downtown<\/a><\/p>\n

But where are the best places to call home<\/a>? To help answer that question, U.S. News & World Report studied job opportunities, affordability and quality of life for destinations in North Carolina and beyond.<\/p>\n

Cary<\/b> ranks No. 11 and Apex<\/b> is No. 20. Beyond the top 25, eight other North Carolina locations join the Raleigh-area towns on the nationwide list. Here\u2019s what to know.<\/p>\n

Of the North Carolina<\/a> destinations on the 2026-27 list, Cary and Apex ranked the highest. The western Wake County towns have job markets that are \u201cbetter<\/a> than the national average,\u201d with unemployment rates at 3% or lower, U.S. News wrote on its website.<\/p>\n

U.S. News also said the two locations offer residents a \u201cbetter value than similarly sized cities when you compare housing costs to median household income,\u201d adding that both towns have median home prices close to $550,000 and median household incomes over $100,000.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the first time the Raleigh-area towns have been recognized. Last year, both Cary and Apex<\/a> landed in the top 10 on U.S. News\u2019 2025-26 list, The News & Observer previously reported.<\/p>\n

\u201cCary\u2019s continued recognition as one of the nation\u2019s top communities<\/a> is especially meaningful because it reflects what people experience here every day,\u201d Harold Weinbrecht, mayor of Cary, said in a Tuesday, May 19 news release. \u201cPeople come here and stay here because Cary offers a rare combination of safety, opportunity, beauty, connection, and service.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also this year, the ranking website Niche named Cary the state\u2019s No. 1 place to call home<\/a> after it received high marks in several categories, ranging from outdoor activities to family friendliness.<\/p>\n

Read more The Carolina Hurricanes are back in a conference final. Is it \u2018win now or never\u2019?<\/a><\/p>\n

And Apex recently was named one of the nation\u2019s \u201cmost desirable\u201d places<\/a> to settle down. To create that list, U.S. News studied moving trends and online search interest. It also praised the the suburb for having a \u201csmaller-town feel\u201d while still being near major employers, The N&O previously reported.<\/p>\n

To determine the nation\u2019s top 250 places to live, U.S. News said it considered more than 850 locations across the country. It surveyed roughly 500 people to ask about their preferences and studied data from several sources, including government agencies. Then, it considered how each place across these four categories: \u201cquality of life, value, desirability and job market.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs prices of everyday goods continue to rise, consumers are considering affordability as a top priority when choosing a place to live,\u201d Erika Giovanetti, consumer lending analyst, said in a Tuesday, May 19 news release. \u201cWhile U.S. News\u2019 consumer survey indicated that quality of life and affordability were close in importance, cost-of-living concerns resulted in many Americans putting what they can afford above their aspirations.\u201d<\/p>\n

This time around, places in the Triangle, Charlotte area and other parts of North Carolina also made their marks on the U.S. News list. Here\u2019s how they fared:<\/p>\n

Nationwide, results show the No. 1 place to live was Carmel, Indiana. Here are the other destinations rounding out the top five:<\/p>\n

U.S. News didn\u2019t immediately respond to The N&O\u2019s request for additional information.<\/p>\n

Read more 6 bears killed within 2 weeks as home break-ins rise in one NC county, state says<\/a><\/p>\n

Portions of this story were previously published in The Charlotte Observer<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 4:48 PM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

US News ranks Raleigh-area NC cities among country\u2019s top places to call home. It studied jobs, costs, quality of life for Cary and Apex, North Carolina.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\n2 Triangle towns rank among the nation\u2019s best places to live. 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