There are a lot of great small towns scattered around the southern United States, including some right here in Alabama: Fairhope, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Vestavia Hills, Madison., to name a few.

Throw in other towns from neighboring states, such as Oxford, Bay St. Louis and Ocean Springs in Mississippi; or Palm Beach, Anna Maria Island and Cedar Key in Florida, along with countless other towns spread across the South, and it seemed the editors at USA Today’s 10Best had their hands full in determining the Best Small Town in the South.

Once they chose the finalists and their readers voted, the winner was — Starkville, Mississippi?

Look, Starkville — or its nom de plume “StarkVegas” — is a fine town. The home of Mississippi State University, a certain AL.com writer went to school there, as well as a son who graduated last year, and has watched it grow over the years. It has a vibrant downtown entertainment area, ample shopping and dining and many historic points of interest.

But the Best Small Town in the South?

Here’s what USA Today editors had to say:

“Home to Mississippi State University, Starkville is much more than just a college town. You’ll find a thriving arts scene, multiple historic districts, many opportunities for bird-watching, and plenty of great food. Don’t miss checking out the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library, a treasure trove of artifacts and correspondence.”

Ok, but the Best Small Town in the South? Maybe it was the bird-watching.

Making Starkville’s selection all the more baffling is this: Not a single one of the towns mentioned above cracked the top 10. Not one town in Alabama. Not one in Mississippi. Not even in Florida, which is usually the darling of these sorts of lists.

Understanding the selection process helps somewhat. USA Today assembles a panel of experts in travel, entertainment, dining, etc., to compile a list of nominees. From there, 10Best editors cull the list down to about 20 finalists. Then voting by the public begins, leading to the final top 10 and winner.

Taking that into account, whoever is funding the staff at the Starkville Chamber of Commerce needs to pony up for raises, because they clearly did a masterful job of getting out the vote.

It wasn’t all bad news for Alabama. USA Today’s 10Best has multiple “small town” categories. As we reported earlier this week, Gulf Shores came in fourth on the list of Best Coastal Small Town. In the Best Small Town Cultural Scene category, Cullman placed third, while Orange Beach was deemed to have the South’s 7th-best Small Town Food Scene.

Here’s the complete top 10 for Best Small Town in the South:

1. Starkville, Miss.
2. Batesville, Ark.
3. Thomasville, Ga.
4. West Monroe, La.
5. Maysville, Ky.
6. Murrells Inlet, S.C.
7. Sevierville, Tenn.
8. Abington, Va.
9. Brevard, N.C.
10. Fairmont, W.V.

If Starkville taking home top honors for Best Small Town in the South leaves you befuddled, consider this: There’s also a category for Best Small College Town. Oxford, Miss. — home of Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels — came in first.

No Alabama college towns made the list.