I guess it depends how you define hills. I live on Chapel Hill Rd at Anderson (south from Duke), and CH Rd is actually mega flat because it's on the spine of a ridge (so flat, the neighborhood was born in the 1900s because the streetcar line allowed people to commute to downtown without horses, and the streetcar couldn't "do hills"). The terrain around it (see for example, Anderson St) is all uppy-downy rolls and hills *ad infinitum* that will wear you out through frequency, not major inclines that last a long time. See also Academy Rd etc.

Whoever said Chapel Hill is flat neglected the whole part of getting UP the hill to CH. it's a slog no matter how you slice it unless you go WAY out of your way. Once up, yes, i agree.

PM me if you want to ride with a fat guy fixed-gear rookie in Durham sometime, i'm looking for ppl to go on rides with. Be Gentle.