I don't know about schools personally, but my friends with littles seem happy enough in Cary/Apex/Raleigh schools. Yes, Chapel Hill/Carrboro is "better" but at what price? Wouldn't touch Durham.
I love Cary; lived here over 20 years right on Bond Lake. Lots of green space, well educated population (well, the whole area, really), and lots of stuff for kids. Not so much for young adults. There are bike paths and greenways, but few ways to bike commute, since the main roads are crowded. Lots of chain restaurants, but also lots of ethnic restaurants in some areas.
Try older neighborhoods avoid the same same look. My parents bought in Medfield Estates in '78. It's a "doughnut hole" between Raleigh and Cary (off Trinity Road behind the fairgrounds) that doesn't pay city taxes to either. The houses were built in the 60's, so they're smaller houses (although many have added on) with larger yards, and younger families are moving in as the oldsters age out. Ten - fifteen minutes to the airport, and right off I-40. I'm sure there are other pockets, too, if you don't mind an older home and a big yard with lots of trees (great in summer - a bear in the fall!)