Hi Nate, welcome to the forum and the club!
Valid questions to ask when getting started. Now that you've gotten all signed up you have many many resourceful threads at your finger tips. Depending on which mineral you''ll be prospecting will obviously vary which area of the state would be best suited for your prospect then.
Let us know if you have any questions and especially check out the club members only protected section of the forums once you've seen the researched areas information packets.