How do I know an area is good to invest?

[Dan D.]

I have been reading books, perusing blogs and joining in on discussions about how to find your first investment property. And, they all say to know your market. That's all well and good, but what if you are new to an area and have no idea what the market is like. I've heard people talk about metrics and that you should know all this data about the areas you want to invest in, but what are the top 10 or so pieces of data you want to focus on? Where would I get this information without having access to the MLS?