But absent an especially good deal, I'm not sure I see why this town over one where there's more economic activity.

Hi Charles, Welcome to BP, this is a great community online for learning, there are also many events across NYC where you can meet active investors.

It's an even smaller pool of who local is actively doing it. 

I don't like Florida either, due to the increased  storm activity that keeps pounding the south coast. 

There are several quality providers of these specialty plans active here on BP. 

Once you have a general idea of what things rent for, you can then start calling property managers with active listings and diving a bit deeper.

Another tip is to look into the local zoning/boarding minutes or eve of the Google "CITY Zoning Approved" and see which attorney is more active (successfully) in your area

We’ve started our journey in REI with my partner and are actively looking to get our first deal (SFR - 3 bed 1 bath).We look at a ton of deals on the MLS everyday and pre-select properties that we want to see in the weekend with our agent.

I am active duty military and currently stationed in Bayonne for the next few years.

Join a couple of limited partnerships or find a strong active investor and bring some of the money to some JVs.