It's LA....surely you know your heavily regulated in almost every aspect of living!

Further east of us like Calhoun and Dalton, while right on 75, they are heavily dependent on the flooring industry which gets hit hard in a recession (just look at their unemployment rates in 2008-2012).Rome also got hit hard during that time but not as bad because we have 4 colleges and universities and 2 major hospitals.

KC is heavily hit.

I find I get the best advice by trying to find professionals who are heavily invested in real estate and offer their services from that perspective. 

It is on the side of a hill and when it rains heavily the water comes down the hill and rushes down the street right next to me and my patio always fills up with several inches of water.

Our economy is heavily influenced by the government with Fort Hood being the largest military installation in the free world.  

These systems are only affordable when the government subsidizes them heavily.

This way we know they already know what they’re doing and do not need to be heavily vetted.

Is it strictly about the numbers or do you weigh external factors more heavily?

Also, where you intend to invest can depend heavily on what exactly you REI goals are.As far as STR, areas that are popular with tourists/vacationers are always a good move.