Great places to raise kids - for less

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#20 on this list: Ackerman, MS. Really? Really?!?

Now, I can't hate on Ackerman too much. I got family that lives there and Weir is about 8 miles away, so I spent a good bit of time there. But listing it as one of the best places to raise kids? That's a stretch.

I wouldn't mind it so much, being from the area, but I doubt you're going to get a regular suburbanite from anywhere in the country to pick up and move there.

During my senior year in high school, we had a new teacher come in through a placement program. He was fresh out of college and ready to go teach. Oh, the college he came from? Harvard. Yes, that Harvard. He grew up in Massachusetts, was used to going to Boston and other towns similar.

Try and imagine his culture shock when he arrived in tiny Weir, MS. We liked him, but he had some mannerisms about him and some of the stories he'd tell, you knew he was a very square peg in a round hole.

Unfortunately, he came down the year a massive tornado ripped through town. Went right through the part of the country he was staying at. To the locals, it was bad, but manageable. To him, it was a nightmare. Factor in the rest of the culture shock and it's not surprising he didn't stay much longer. Too bad, I liked the guy. He told us about Sam Adams beer. No, he didn't give us any, but just mentioned it to us in class one day while talking about where he came from.

Anyway, that's one example of what someone might experience if they say "hey, let's move to this Ackerman, MS".

But I'd be all for an influx of people moving in. It would only help the region.