Moot point then.But in response to your original question, no, I would not even consider climate in my choices for where to buy rentals or investment properties.

With strong demand and guaranteed, government-backed rent, Columbus is an excellent choice for investors seeking reliable cash flow.

A final choice would be to rent the primary in a few months, reside in a rental for several years, sell the primary, and purchase another SFH for rental and a SFH residence as a new primary.Is this a viable place to begin investing?

We had 3 exit strategies, and ultimately went with the safest and least amount of time invested.

It's actually the safest possible situation for an inexperienced homeowner. 

When people don’t have the optionality of another remote work job, they are going to have no choice

The right choice not only depends on the property, but the investor as well.

Basically, just like any market, you can fail - but it can so easily be avoided when you have the resources and expertise needed to navigate it.For Crime Rates in the City Proper see here: https://crimegrade.org/safest-places-in-scranton-pa/ Just like any city, it varies heavily street to street, but is overall a solid place to invest.

I had it prior but had to make a career choice about 5 years ago when I was working for a dealership because it was too time consuming to keep it open. 

Most of the deals I've done, and likely the ones I'll will do in the future, have been funded by HNW investors, by choice.