People in Raleigh commute a lot--an hour commute isn't atypical. However, it is miserable--the traffic is terrible since there really isn't public transportation, especially from Raleigh to the RTP in the morning and from the RTP to Raleigh from around 4:30-6:30 in the afternoon. If you can avoid those hours though, the commute isn't bad, and other directions aren't bad either.
There are so many areas within an hour of Raleigh that it's really hard to know what to recommend. The drive on US 1 into Raleigh isn't bad (its actually a nice drive, but a bit of a speed trap), so Sanford wouldn't be bad. I commuted to Southern Pines from Raleigh several times per week for a while, and it was actually a nice commute--but I wasn't completely exhausted, either. US 1 close to Raleigh/Cary (when its still part of 440) can get pretty bogged down in the afternoon heading south, but I haven't driven it as much since they opened it up and added lanes, so they may have rectified the problem.
I think right many people commute from east of Raleigh into the city along I-40 and highway 70, so those might be high-traffic areas. But, those are also some of the least expensive places to live.
North of Raleigh is starting to get pretty developed, but the existing roads haven't really been expanded. Commuting to the vet school along Creedmore Road would be pretty miserable--most other spots, you can get on the interstate, but north of the city would force you through the city (complete with LOTS of stoplights)....though I think I-540 might have been completed up to Creedmore (but I'm not sure), so that might allow you to take a roundabout interstate route.
Chapel Hill/Durham area to Raleigh wouldn't be as terrible as the other direction in the morning...
. Anything you could offer would be greatly appreciated!
