where do I start out?

[scottiegrace]

Are they going to be able to write things that are "local" to your city? If you're looking to get higher up for keywords in general, any old article would work. But the local angle is sometimes more effective too.

I don't think it is important to be high up on the SERPs on your articles in particular. I just think that the backlinks are important. It may even be better if your competition cannot find you.