I love the town, but I guess that my point is that it has substantial challenges as a full time local.

You have come to the right place to begin your investing journey.Have you looked into attending local meetings and joining Facebook groups?

From what I have heard, Dayton is a similar market, and you will ALWAYS save money by investing locally by not needing to hire a Property Manager (yet).

I flew there and walked the house, looked pretty turnkey rental grade): $1029 GFCI outlets, downspouts and guards, drywall, paint, bathroom vent$4615 (new AC unit since unit was stolen before tenant moved in, didn't file insurance claim because didn't want my premium to go up) $600 (water line, gas line, P trap)$60 lawn mowing$112  thermostat repairMy opinion is that Class C is better for local investors who are on site and know how to do repairs and self manage.

Going over maps of known repairs with contractors showed that there were a few houses where people tried to have piers installed and ran out of money before hitting stable soil, others in the hyper local area did have to go to 100+ ft.  

If you’re leaning toward an LLC, I can recommend some local options to help set it up.

I was building a new laundromat in the best retail area of our town when our job site got its tools and copper robbed for the second time.

Join a local landlord association.

I am new to real estate investing and looking to connect with any local investor.

I don't know if this is required in your locality but if it isn't get rid of it.