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Apex, NC 55 Plus Communities

Apex’s quaint downtown, easy drive to Raleigh and Durham, and its many parks makes it an enviable retirement location. And the Apex Senior center and programs are simply incredible. This guide, focusing on the “best 55+ neighborhoods in Apex, NC,” provides a comprehensive look at the top communities, including house sizes and other key details.

Living in Apex

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Apex Best Neighborhoods

55 Plus Communities in Apex NC
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Apex

There are many great things about living in Apex, but the great thing about retiring here, is that Apex has an incredible senior center. Not all 55 plus communities in Apex NC have a community center with classes and activities. But the senior center in Apex means you have all that even if your neighborhood doesn’t.

And let me tell you, the number of classes and activities is unbelievable. There are comedy dinner theaters, murder mysteries, and day trips with groups. There are classes in drawing, painting, jewelry making, soap making, beginner to advanced pottery, cooking classes with professional chefs, line dancing, swing dancing, tap dancing, pickleball, yoga, science, history and nature classes.

I really could keep going, but if you want to see their program guides you can find them here. Now let’s get into the neighborhoods. 

The Orchard Villas 

The Orchard Villas in Apex, North Carolina has a clubhouse, heated pool, bocce court, and putting green.
The Orchard Villas in Apex, North Carolina, has 86 homes, and is walkable to ammenities.
The Orchard Villas, an Epcon community in Apex, NC
  • Price Point: $400k – $500k
  • Amenities: maintenance free community, clubhouse, outdoor heated pool, fitness room, bocce court, putting green. Weekly activities & interest clubs.
  • Home style: attached villas
  • Home Sizes: 1300 – 2400 square feet 
  • Walkable: Walkable to nearby shopping, restaurants and medical facilities. 
  • Size of Community: 86 homes 

I just loved these adorable little villas! They had these lovely little picket fences and really felt like a cozy  little village. This 55 plus community does have a pool and a clubhouse but there wasn’t anyone at the clubhouse when we visited. Everything felt kind of quiet in Apex NC, but it was early in the morning. It was still a very different feel from larger communities. I think something to keep in mind is that even if a community has a clubhouse, if it’s a small community, it just won’t be that busy. Fortunately, being in Apex, you’ve got lots of options. 

The other great thing about The Orchard Villas is that it’s really close to good shopping. If you’re a walker, it’s less than a mile on good sidewalks to Beaver Creek shopping center. Beaver Creek has everything from Super Target to T J Maxx to Home Goods to the movie theater. There is also tons of medical care right there within a mile of Orchard Villas. Wake Med has a mini hospital with an ER right in Beaver Creek and there are many doctors offices with many different specialties in this development as well. The Apex Senior Center and downtown Apex are both 5 minutes away. Find homes for sale in The Orchard Villas.

Regency at White Oak Creek

Regency at White Oak Creek in Apex, North Carolina, has larger lots than typical in 55+ communities.
The Clubhouse at Regency at White Oak Creek in Apex, NC has a full time activities director.
There are around 250 homes in Regency at White Oak Creek in Apex NC, a 55+ community.
  • Price Point: $700k – $1.3m
  • Amenities: Clubhouse, fitness center, pools, hot tub, tennis courts, bocce courts, pickleball courts, hiking trails, playground. Full time lifestyle director. 
  • Home style: Single family homes
  • Home Sizes: 2000 – 7000 square feet 
  • Walkable: Many miles of greenways, but not many shops in this area. There is one shopping center with a couple of restaurants about 1.5 miles down the greenway. 
  • Size of Community: About 250 homes 

A few things to know about Regency at White Oak Creek. First, the name of the community is different in different places. Toll Brothers, the original builder, called it Regency at White Oak Creek. However, properties in the MLS are listed in simply White Oak Creek. So you may see it written both ways. Also, when we were at the community, a resident told me that it was originally built as a 55 plus but then they opened it up to people of all ages. They also said that about 90% of people in the community are over 55. 

Regency at White Oak Creek is a very upscale feeling 55 plus community in Apex NC. This is where you go if you want resort style amenities. In addition to the beautiful amenities, The Clark Branch Greenway Trailhead starts in White Oak Creek. Clark Branch Greenway connects to the town of Cary’s White Oak Greenway, which is a 7 mile greenway connecting to Cary’s entire trail system throughout the town, as well as the American Tobacco Trail. The town of Cary manages over 70 miles of greenway trails so from this neighborhood you could walk on paved trails through the woods for 70 miles. To learn why so many people love living in the town of Cary, read this.

Find homes for sale in Regency at White Oak Creek.

Retreat at Cedar Crossing 

Lawn maintenance is included in the Retreat at Cedar Crossing, a 55+ community in Apex, North Carolina
There are 87 homes in the Retreat at Cedar Crossing in Apex North Carolina
Ammenities at the Retreat at Cedar Crossing in Apex, NC include a fire pit, pickleball courts, a gazebo, and this bocce ball court.
  • Price Point: $600k – $1m
  • Amenities: Fire pit, bocce, pickleball, gazebo, walking trails, picnic area, lawn maintenance
  • Home style: Single family homes
  • Home Sizes: 1400 – 2600 square feet 
  • Walkable: No. Short trails within the community, but not walkable to anything outside the community. 
  • Size of Community: 87 homes 

Retreat at Cedar Crossing is another Toll Brothers 55 plus development in Apex NC. Toll brothers tends to have fantastic amenities and Retreat is no exception. The West Apex location is really great… only 8 minutes from Seaforth Park at Jordan Lake. Seaforth has a sand beach, plenty of picnic tables and barbecue grills. And lots of wildlife. Jordan Lake is known for its bald eagle population. Retreat at Cedar Crossing is also about 7 minutes drive from the American Tobacco Trail and 14 minutes from the Apex senior center if you want to take some classes there. Find homes for sale in Retreat at Cedar Crossing. 

Buckhorn Preserve

Buckhorn Preserve, Apex, NC Community Clubhouse
Buckhorn Preserve, not age restricted, some homes include yard maintenance.
Buckhorn Preserve, Apex, NC. One of two community pools.
  • Price Point: $580k – $1 mil
  • Amenities: clubhouse, 2 saltwater pools, fitness center, patio, neighborhood walking trails, picnic area
  • Home style: Single family homes 
  • Home Sizes: 2000 – 4000 square feet 
  • Walkable: Trails within the neighborhood but not walkable to any shops. 
  • Size of Community: 272 homes 

Buckhorn Preserve is not an age restricted community, but it does have a lot of features many retirees look for in an active adult community. There are a lot of community amenities. The neighborhood has a large percentage of one level and downstairs primary suite floor plans. And the community provides exterior home maintenance. Buckhorn Preserve is about a mile to the American Tobacco Trail, for those who enjoy walking in nature. It’s also about 1.5 miles through neighborhood streets with sidewalks to Apex Nature Park. Buckhorn Preserve is a great option for retirees looking for a 55 plus community in Apex NC, who also want to live in the same community as their kids and grandkids. You get all of the benefits, without the restrictions. Find homes for sale in Buckhorn Preserve. 

Woodhall

  • Price Point: $350k – $850k
  • Amenities: Exterior maintenance covered by HOA, Gazebo, picnic area, scenic ponds, trails, parks and natural space, community events
  • Home style: Single family homes
  • Home Sizes: 1,600 – 3,500 square feet 
  • Walkable:  
  • Size of Community: 145 homes 

Woodhall is one of those communities that is in between locations. The homes have Apex addresses, but it is located in the Cary city limits and is in Chatham County. There are limited amenities in this community but the American Tobacco Trail is accessible within the neighborhood, so this is a great location for people who love nature and hiking. Find homes for sale in Woodhall.