Which state should I invest in?

[Lupe Rodriguez]

So I'm starting out and looking to go across state lines for rentals and/or flips in just over 11 months. I'm learning all I can and trying to narrow down to a few cities for different reasons. I have a list of states I'd like to narrow down first. Generally speaking, I'd like to have my buy and hold in places where the weather is kinder to properties (less snow/freezing and fewer hurricanes, I'll take my chances with tornados and floods). 

Which three would you buy and hold in, which three would you flip in, and why? 

OR 

Which three would you NEVER buy and hold in, and which three would you NEVER flip in and why? 

Which states are just gaining traction and have recently rebounding economies? Which ones are fairly stable and look like they will be for a long time?

States in rough order of personal preference, TX is definitely #1.

Thanks!

PS I live in the San Franciso Bay Area. If I'm not doing this locally, I'm not doing this in-state. 

Texas

Georgia

Nevada

South Carolina

North Carolina

Florida

Louisiana

Tennessee

Washing­ton

Arizona

Virginia

Oregon

Arkansas

Alabama

Mississippi

Missouri

New Mexico

Indiana

Minnesota

Utah

[Susan Maneck]

All my investing is in the metro area of Mississippi except for one condo I own in South Lake Tahoe, CA. As far as buy and hold here, the returns on your investments cannot be beat, but I would not recommend flipping. Because appreciation is slow, you can lose your shirt doing that. I live in a house that someone bought and rehabbed to flip. They overpriced it at 139K and lost it during the recession. I snatched it up for 30K.