I live in Davie County, a rural area just a few miles south of Winston-Salem. Out where I live the roads are great for riding. Traffic for the most part is light, and there is a pretty active cycling community, so bikes on the road are commonplace. You are correct in your statement about no paved shoulders on the roads, but it isn't as much of an issue as you might think.
I would suggest doing an activity search on Strava and you'll get any idea about some of the local routes.
I work in WInston-Salem, and commute to work by bike a few times a week from April to October. It is about a 40 mile round trip to where I work near Wake Forest Univ. For the most part, the ride isn't bad in the morning, although I ride home in heavy traffic most of the way.
Most of my longer rides tend to be more toward the western part of the area in Yadkin, Iredell and Surry county. These are pretty rural areas, so again traffic isn't an issue. One thing about riding in the country is you encounter a lot of loose dogs ... there are no leash laws in most counties. You get used to it after a while.
There are many group rides in the area, especially leaving from the Lewisville area, which is a suburb of W-S. There are many cycling and triathlon clubs in the area.
There are plenty of places to swim. All of the local YMCAs have 25y pools, and there are lifeguard attended open water swims at Lake Norman about an hour south of W-S.
I don't particularly think of the area as very populated, but then again I live in the country with no desire to live in an urban area.
Personally, I think it is a great area. The winters are somewhat mild
(I ride outside year round
), but the summers can be very hot and humid.
Good Luck.
Edited by rventuri 2014-08-05 12:34 PM