Furthermore I believe the necessity to work in crowded downtown areas is only going to decrease as we become more mobile as a society.  

I would say that a college degree is a good asset to have, although not an absolute necessity in todays world.

 - cost to be there: going to Alabama from So Cal was a pain and costly but was sometimes a necessity.  

Not all is lost - you may be able to negotiate an easement by necessity, but I would recommend speaking with a Real Estate attorney in your area.

The supermarket couldn't get approved to accept food stamps, which is a necessity in these type of areas.

My wife and I started out of necessity, we were accidental landlords.

I'm tired of my old profession, and feel a necessity to pursue real estate investing.

Improvements are only done to increase rent, repairs are done as a necessity.

Being in CA, you're definitely not alone in looking out-of-state, but @Andrew Johnson makes a very important point about the necessity of visiting your market.

I guess it just concerns me to count on refinancing as a necessity to cash flow properly and maintain equity in case of unexpected drop.With the flip, The numbers are too thin for me where they're at.