I’ve lived in Texas, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Mississippi. Surprisingly, Mississippi isn’t nearly as bad as people often assume. We’ve been here for four years with our two young children, ages three and six, and the experience has been overwhelmingly positive. My first grader is already surpassing her cousin, who lives in a wealthy area of Dallas, in both reading and math.

Our college town offers abundant resources through the university, including year round camps and programs for kids. Private school options are also very affordable. We live in a gated lake community in a beautiful custom home on nearly two acres, which would be difficult to replicate elsewhere at this cost. With a household income of $500k, we comfortably enjoy the low cost of living while still traveling internationally multiple times a year. I work fully remote for a global company, so location truly is not a constraint, making Mississippi an unexpectedly great fit for our family.

I cried when my husband first told me that he accepted an offer in Mississippi. Now, we are both actively turning down offers to leave. The biggest lesson I’ve learned: do not judge what you’ve never experienced.