My target market is Wilmington, Delaware which is another shrinking marking and I would argue doesn't have the same economic prospects that Milwaukee has.

Keep going, lots to learn and plenty of resources here.

Moved to the Midwest (Columbus, OH) to get some experience in Human Resources under my belt right out of college and just moved back to the Reno area after almost 3 years out in Ohio.

That is actually not a huge deal and can be tackled with resourcefulness and education.

I also believe in the longer-term upside of the neighboring city and am excited about the potential equity growth there.I'm curious, for those of you who have invested from afar like this--what single resource or piece of advice will made the biggest impact on my success investing in another city?

I've been "driving for dollars" here which is good but I'm also open to starting with a list of homes and targeting that way. 

It is a tough read when treating it like a regular book, but as a resource it is good.

Lots of great information and resources here on BP.

As you mentioned it has tons of resources and even more great people to connect and speak about real estate! 

Take advantage of all the free resources and knowledge on here.