The author mentions Duke, UNC and NCSU (all great schools) and gives NCSU the highest accolades.
This section in particular, caught my attention:
“The area has three major universities within about 15-20 minutes, which offer a blend of important characteristics. Duke draws a national population of kids, and I suppose it checks off the box for having an elite university in the area. UNC-Chapel Hill (“Carolina”) is one of the best state universities in the country, although they would rightfully make a claim for being as academically strong as Duke, without the typical Yankee snobbery that you find across Tobacco Road. NC State is a true hidden gem that, to me, produces by far the strongest engineers and employees of the three.”