To all: If you haven't introduced your character, yes you can as soon as you'd like, and I would suggest starting as close to/in Wilmington to the sake of time. In fact, if you want, have them start out by meeting the NPC faction on 8th Street (since that's everyone's ultimate destination). Once everyone's situated and the character development that is currently going on has concluded, I may consider a time skip so that everyone is on 8th street and together.