Moving to another town in N.C.?

due to the economy, my family and i moved to Gastonia, NC two years ago. since we have been here, we have found the place to be countryish and the people too. Are there any places in North Carolina that are not so hickish and more like California? I've heard a lot of Californians live near Davidson. We are looking for good middle and high schools are our son is extremely smart( top 1% in his class). What about places like Raleigh-Durham, Greensboro, Fayetteville and other bigger cities? I also have over 16 years of warehouse and management skills. All help would be appreciated