I have a brother who lives in Raleigh and have spent considerable time there. It's a great area for riding, weather-wise at least -- should be rideable nearly year-round. There are some clubs in the area who can probably point out the better hilly routes . . . though Raleigh-Durham is not nearly as hilly/mountainous as the western part of the state (but, you can get over to that side with just a few hours of driving if you wanted to take a day trip or something).

Rev.Chuck who hangs out in the Bike Mechanics area of BikeForums lives and works in a bike shop there, and may be able to shed more light on the Good Ol' Boys and their pickup trucks and other issues. I think you're more likely to get hit with an empty barbecue container than a beer can though.