Living in the Durham-Raleigh area is not that much different than the Greater-Seattle area, except for:
Rain and other weather - While it doesn't rain as often, it rains in buckets! And people still don't know how to drive in it. Every rain, there are cars in ditches. The weather is chaotic - it can be 28 degrees and frosty until 11, then up to 70 by 1pm followed by wind and thunderstorms by 6pm. The weather announcers give the best time to walk the dog on the local stations to describe the day. Layers are important and I have sweaters in the car to adjust for the change in temperature.
Roads - What is considered a 'state highway' quickly becomes meandering country roads. Freeways will suddenly split into two highways with little or no warning signs. GPS is my friend! (Note: you can actually update the voice on your GPS to sound like a sexy Australian actor). There is no such thing as a street grid except for a few blocks in the downtown areas and even then, you might have a stray street that crosses diagonally for no apparent reason. Roads that should connect, don't, so you literally 'can't get there from here." Don't even try to have a local give you directions because they just say "it's off the 40 (or 751 or 540)" which means they can only give you an estimate of the location.
Speed Limit Signs - There are more historical markers than speed limit signs. When in doubt, go 30mph and the person behind you will let you know if that's not fast enough. Honking is so common here that roads often sound like a flock of geese.
Commuting - Everything is 20 minutes away at the most and people still complain about the traffic. I went to hear a lecture in Raleigh and other attendees were surprised that I drove "all the way from Durham!" which was 15 minutes at most. I just say that's what audio books are for!
Cemetaries - There are several large cemeteries in the middle of each city which give historical tours on the weekend plus there are random small cemeteries along the roadside...a lot of them! Family farms/homesteads became housing developments, so these cemeteries are just fenced off. The north end of the road I live on, Hope Valley Road or the 751, is a large country club golf course and high-end housing development (think Bear Creek with old family money) has several right along the side of the road. I can't help but think of the movie "Poltergeist" every time I drive by.
Southern Accents - Because this is the center of medical research and technology companies, the population is very diverse, and you don't hear southern accents very often. Except when someone wants to sell you something! If you hear a salesclerk, say "well, isn't that nice" in a southern accent, it is the equivalent of "f*&^ you."
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