Moving back to Virginia?

Although I live in New England, I grew up in Virginia.  My mom still lives in the mountains, my dad lived in Charlottesville before passing away.

Virginia is a HUGE state.  It takes about 7 to 8 hours to drive from Cumberland Gap to Richmond.   Your question is like asking "where in europe would I like to live?"

I grew up in Washington County.  It's one of the oldest settlements dating back to the time of Daniel Boone, my mom swears by the old homeplace, you could consider looking in the Tri-city area (Bristol, Johnson City, Kingsport). I have nothing bad to say about it except that I prefer NY and Boston.

If you like the laid back country gentleman lifestyle, you'd like Washington County.

Charlottesville is much more academically oriented, with UVA.  It has a small city feel but has marvelous attractions. It's slightly more liberal (politically) than the southwestern part of the state.

Roanoke is another option, it is halfway between Charlottesville and Bristol (politically, geographically, and in every other sense of the word).  The academic community is significantly smaller than Charlottesville.  It has (in my opinion), a much higher crime rate than Bristol or Charlottesville.

You probably need to narrow down what you are looking for to get the best input.