From personal experience, I would recommend Tulsa or Oklahoma City.

I'm looking to connect and network with other investors, contractors etc who have experience in this market. 

We would like to connect to exchange our experience.

No syndication experience but there are about a dozen quality RV/Mobile home parks on market in Oregon, several with owner carry options that can be passiv-ish with management in place.

You'll likely need a higher down payment if you can find anyone willing to finance something like this as a first time investor; many require some level of rehab experience at the very least.

Thank you for posting that very detailed experience.

Which market do you have experience in and how is your experience working remotely with your real estate team in the area?  

After talking with my mentor (He's a realtor with 20+ years experience) he suggested purchasing a rental property first.

I'm interested in investing in rental properties around Columbia as well, I'd love to connect with fellow investors and/or agents with experience working with investors.

That's been an interesting experience!