They grow anywhere and I suspect grow more freely the closer you get to the shore--warmer more humid. Good places to find wild, "escaped" specimens tend can be older home sites, abandon farms, plantations, etc. Golf courses can also yield substantially-trunked specimens. One golf course near me has an area where they dump cuttings, tree limbs, old shrubs, etc. The woods near that is filled with escaped wisteria that had been cut down, chopped up and thrown on a heap. the chopped up pieces took root and went wild.
Wisteria is adapted to using OTHER trees to survive. It's top growth needs full burning sun, while it's roots like to be cool and moist. It typically climbs to the top of a host tree, spread out limbs and sucker growth and shades out the host. all the while its roots remain in the cool understory soil. This behavior is why its considered a destructive invasive.
BTW, a few other invasive vine species in Va. can make good bonsai too. Oriental bittersweet, for instance, can be more common than wisteria. Trunks are usually more muscular looking and have finer bark than wisteria. It's also a bit more capable of ramification. Trumpetvine, or "cow itch" vine is another bonsai candidate.
