Trying to remember...once you live in a state, you are a resident as far as the state is concerned (you can apply for a drivers license right away, etc.), but I think to obtain state financial aid and state tuition rates, you have to live in the state for 6 - 12 months. I had that problem when I moved from PA to NJ and was in college; I did not qualify for state financial aid right away. I was going to a private school; I am not sure if a state school would at least have given me state tuition rates right away. These are good questions to think about and you would want to call the potential school's financial aid department and ask. Community colleges are great, they are so much cheaper. I would try to choose a school in a more populated area, which will be more likely to have cheap housing. What I would do: I would write down all the cities I am interested in, and I would look up their crime rates, average cost of living, nearby schools, and economy/job opportunity statistics. I would eliminate any cities/areas that were expensive to live in, had poor job growth, or not enough affordable housing.
Here are some links that may help you:
//www.city-data.com/ (crime, schools)
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcst.htm (jobs)
http://www.collegeboard.com/splash/ (schools - detailed info)
http://www.apartments.com/ (apartments)
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