Strategies for finding and narrowing down cities for investing

[Ryan McGlasson]

Hello everyone! I had a question I wanted to ask the general biggerpockets community because I felt it could not only benefit my self to know but others. When you are getting started in real estate investing or even if you have already invested in a city, what are your methods, strategies and criteria you research and look for to branch out and find new cities across the US to invest in that fit your niche? Not specifically the properties or types, but the cities or states themselves.

Do you have states in mind that you look into individually and then begin to determine potential cities?  Do  state tax rates and other local real estate laws influence where you invest?

What city characteristics do you look for or is it strictly cashflow numbers?  How else do you determine if a city or a rental will be rented out quickly?   Tons of questions I know! Just hoping to get a discussion started :)