Virgina is the 9th Freest State in the Union

Now you know why Virginia is such a great place to live.
h/t SayUncle

From Freedom in the 50 States

PDF download here. Great info and explanations on the criteria for judging said freedom.

Virginia

Virginia (#13 economic, #9 personal, #9 overall)
is by our count the second freest Southern state,
although it is in more or less a statistical tie with
Tennessee. The tax burden, government spending,
and debt are all below national averages. However,
state and local government employment is well
above the national average. Gun laws are about average.
Marijuana laws are largely unreformed. Virginia
is schizophrenic on education, requiring 13 years of
mandatory schooling, including kindergarten attendance,
and imposing significant standardized testing
and notification requirements on home schoolers,
but otherwise leaving both private and home
schools alone. Labor laws are solid. Like Hawaii
and Pennsylvania, Virginia has no form of community
rating for health insurance. However, mandates
are extensive, adding over 64 percent to the cost of
insurance. Natural gas and cable have been “deregulated”
to the consumer. The state has one of the best
liability systems in the country. The state had not
reformed eminent domain as of the end of 2006, but
has since passed new reforms.