Welcome to BYC!
Congrats on your new homestead! Always fun to escape the city and move to the country. And what better livestock to keep than chickens!!
You might want to start by doing some reading in our learning center here on BYC to help you get started and raising your new flock....
https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center
As for whether to start with chicks or started birds, this is entirely up to you. I prefer chicks as not only do you know their history, but you can bond with them much easier. Where as started birds, you may not now the conditions they have come from and you will have to work more with them to tame them down. But started birds will be laying earlier!! You could go with both and have the best of both worlds.
Here is a couple of nice breeds pages so you can get an idea about the different breeds and their attributes....
http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html
http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/chickenbreedcomparison.pdf
As for where to get them, you might want to get your order in soon as chicks are being bought up like crazy now! Some feed stores are still carrying them, and so are the big hatcheries like Murray McMurray, Ideal, Cackle, Privett, My Pet Chicken, and others. You can even check our Buy Sell and Trade section for breeders, eggs, chicks and started birds from BYC members...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/67/buy-sell-trade
You can even check your state thread and chat with other members nearby you that might have some birds or chicks for you...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/26/where-am-i-where-are-you
Well, this should get you started. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask. Enjoy this new journey you are on and welcome to our flock!