Rental investing beginner

[Brock Best]

I live in a small town, about 8,500 people. Nearest town larger than us is 45 miles away with about 25k population, other than that there is no big city within 200 miles. I’m nervous to get started in purchasing rental properties because I know they will be difficult to sell in the future if for some reason this small town starts losing businesses. The bnsf railroad, the hospital and a couple electric companies are the bigger income based jobs that hold this town together. I would love to take advantage of the cheap properties around town and build an empire but I feel that there is an overload of risk. I have a full time job making $100k a year but I’m ready for a new lifestyle with real estate. Any thoughts?