I've lived in NC for - let's see, 35 years now? - and I still get asked, "You're not from around here, are you?"
I was in the Elizabeth City area for a few years, then near Fayetteville. I've been in Wilmington for the last 25. I have relatives in Goldsboro, Raleigh, Greensboro, Charlotte, and Florence, SC. We have vacationed in the Outer Banks several times, and also in the mountains. As they say in the tag line of an old commercial, "I like calling North Carolina home!"
Wrightsville Beach is about 15 minutes from my house. I can get to Raleigh in an hour and a half, Greensboro in 3 hours, Asheville takes about 5 hours.
A few years ago, you could buy land quite reasonably, if you didn't mind being "out in the boonies." That means a drive of 45 minutes or so! Sadly, this area has experienced a building boom, and prices have risen accordingly. It seems like you say "acreage," and someone's going to think "Oh boy, I can put x number of houses on that!" There is still land to be had, you just have to go further out, or be prepared to pay a bit more.
Oh, and Brandi*? Sounds like you met up with some of our mosquitos! I heard a "Good ol' boy" claim he saw one of them trying to take off with a cow, and it almost succeeded!