I have to admit I am a bit prejudiced in favor of a larger negative format than 35mm for black and white photography. If I were limited to one format it would be the 120 square negative. That is 6 x 6 cm, or a negative area about 2 1/4 inches square.(posted 9342 days ago)Film for that format is available in just about any type your could want from many black and white films, color negative and color transparency. A contact print from that size negative is big enough to view easily without a magnifier. It enlarges beautifully to as big as you care to go.
It comes in 12 exposure rolls, which is just about right for a photographic outing without worrying about what you are going to do with the other 15 or 20 exposures on the roll that you didn't fill up.
I think a perfect starting out camera for this format is the Yashica Mat 124-G. It is a twin lens relfex camera, and some models come with a built-in light meter, which saves having to carry an extra piece of equipment around your neck. They are available used for somewhere in the neighborhood of $85 to $125 or so depending on condition. If the lenses look clean and the body is not banged up and the winding and focussing mechanism work, go as cheap as you can find.
Even if you dont have an enlarger right off, you can make contact prints of your negatives and get a good idea of how you are doing in learning black and white photography. Good luck.