We should probably think about the scenarios first, right? Personally, the first option sounds better in terms of making a bit more sense as to how we're all together. Though if the communities are all close together in state, I suppose the second option could make sense too and may allow for a wider variety of characters since the communities could be run with slight variations or tolerances.
Moving onward, I can definitely say that it's a different slice of life RP, one that has a lot of potential for where it could go because we're essentially writing about a massive culture shock, especially if they venture out of state to, say, Florida or California, maybe even Washington or New York. That'd be trip!