Hi, and welcome neighbor! I'm in Hampton Roads so not that far :)
Glad to hear that you're loving Ubuntu so far. Have you checked out Natty yet?
These teams are a lot of what you make of them. We're all fans and love to spread the word. Some do in-person meetups in their areas so this helps us connect better to see what's going on.
If you're looking for an event, there might be some in NC or DC on: http://loco.ubuntu.com/
I'm still thinking about a release party for Natty in Newport News but the schedule so far isn't complying. If I do get some time, I'll definitely announce it here, on the mailing list, and various local linux user groups :)
Again! Welcome! If you want to hang out with us in chat (IRC), feel free: #ubuntu-us-va on irc.freenode.net (and if you need help, here it is: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InternetRelayChat )