Internet

First, you are NOT connected to a server in Fairfax, Va, you may be connected to a ROUTER going through there is THAT is the path required to get to a destination. 

If you are talking about a SPEEDTEST, That's different. You can actually select where you want to test through. I am in Hampton roads also, and the COX speedtest server it pointed me to is Fairfax also. I am on 500 down 50 up

That was a default selection. You CAN select your own 

The one in Norfolk isn't owned by Cox so you end up going OFF Cox network and you get this because of that - 

So, Staying on the Cox network provides the fastest results because you aren't going on to another network, on unknown routers and equipment. 

It does NOT mean however that when you are accessing a site on the internet, you are being routed through Fairfax, it simply means that when you run a speedtest, that's the closest COX test site. If you want to see the route your data is going try this - 

tracert /4 www.google.com

The /4 means you will do the test using IPv4, which may be easier for most folks to use and trace. 

You can use ARIN.NET to lookup IP addresses, and remember, not ALL routers will respond to a ping request, it may be busy, OR, it may be programmed not to, so Any ip's that are all *'s doesn't mean they aren't working, just means they don't respond to the ping request for one reason or another.

Tracing route to www.google.com [64.233.180.147]

  2    11 ms    11 ms    11 ms  10.15.96.1
  3    11 ms    11 ms    11 ms  100.127.40.236
  4    10 ms    13 ms    10 ms  100.120.124.16
  5    22 ms    16 ms    17 ms  ashbbprj01-ae2.rd.as.cox.net [68.1.0.242]
  6    15 ms    15 ms    15 ms  209.85.168.194
  7    17 ms    18 ms    17 ms  108.170.246.34
  8    18 ms     *        *     142.251.49.23
  9    22 ms    17 ms    16 ms  216.239.63.53
 10    18 ms    18 ms    18 ms  108.170.238.3
 11    18 ms    18 ms    18 ms  192.178.75.149
 12     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 13     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 14     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 15     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 16     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 17     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 18     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 19     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 20     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 21    15 ms    16 ms    19 ms  on-in-f147.1e100.net [64.233.180.147]