Getting local links is harder then regular link building. Getting local links is preferred as it will signal to Google that you are trying to rank in that location.
Some creative ways include sponsorships, meetups and scholarships. Moz has a good article on local link building here.
It can be a mixture of the strategies you have in mind. Go for trial and error and let it be your goal to find which one works best for you. A strategy that works for others may not work for you. A strategy that doesn't work for one may work for you. You find out which is which.