I second this thought. I grew up in the Bay Area and worked for a few years as a programmer at a startup there. I've also been going to school in the Raleigh area (Chapel Hill) for almost 2 years now.

I've heard the media reports saying how the Raleigh Triangle area is a growing tech hub but I honestly don't see it. It pales so much in comparison to the Bay Area. There are some people interested in entrepreneurship and technology but it's still really hard to find them. It's hard not to run into these kinds of people in the Bay Area. One point of evidence is in looking at how many meetup groups and members are focused on technology and entrepreneurship in each area, and there is a stark difference.

Also, the Dean Dome is amazing. I'd rate it better than Oracle Arena.