If you've ever been through Enterprise, Alabama, you probably saw one of the strangest statues in the U.S. Smack in the middle of a busy intersection downtown stands a woman holding up a large insect.

The statue is a tribute to the boll weevil, the insect that in the early 1900's all but destroyed cotton, which at the time was Coffee County's big moneymaker.

So, why the statue?

The arrival of the boll weevil forced the town to look at other ways to make its economy grow, and today you'll find a healthy base of small businesses. The statue was simply the town's way of saying, "Thank you, boll weevil, for forcing us to become diversified."

Strange statue aside, this county has a lot more going for it. It's called community. If you want an example of just how good it is, ask people here about March 1, 2007.

Storm sirens had been going off all morning in Enterprise on that day. Students at Enterprise High School and the connecting Hillcrest Elementary School had spent several hours in the buildings' safest areas, the hallways.

E X T R A: Want to know more? Or do you have some information to share? View and post comments about this county.

Shortly after 1 p.m., a tornado touched down, destroyed the high school and killed eight of its students. Photos of the aftermath will make you wonder why it didn't kill 100 or more. The storm left little. Major parts of the high school were either caved in or simply missing. Cars and buses filled the low-lying football field next door, as if they had been tossed like matchsticks.

But the storm isn't the story. The people are.

Before the wind had quit blowing, people from all over had rushed to the scene. Doctors and nurses from the nearby hospital ran to the schools—driving was impossible with all the cars and lines down—and found more than 200 students injured. Soldiers from nearby military base Fort Rucker flew helicopters to take wounded to hospitals. One man—and to this day school officials don't know who he was—showed up with a jack and began lifting the heavy debris off students.

Nearly a year after the disaster, the community continues to pull together—to grieve, support one another, build and repair houses, and raise money to build new schools.

"The eight students became children of the community in a sense," says Gary Daniel, pastor of First United Methodist Church. Daniel is one of the leaders of the Recovery Organization of Coffee County (ROCC), a non-profit group to help people in the recovery process.

The stories of caring and generosity are too many for this space, like the churches that are providing daycare, and the community college that for the next three years will share its spaces and schedules with high school students. The class of '77 recently gave a check to the school for more than $30,000.

The stories are still going on. Enterprise is about to build a new elementary school at the same site and a new high school on 132 acres it bought nearby. John G. Ralls owned that farm. He sold it at fair market value. Then, he donated $600,000 back to the school.

In case you're wondering, the community still needs money to help residents rebuild. If you want to contact ROCC to learn more, the number is 334-347-1011.

FEATURED PROPERTIES IN THIS COUNTY FROM THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER REAL ESTATE DATABASE>>

More info on the web:
Cooperative Extension, Coffee County
www.aces.edu/counties/Coffee

Coffee County School System
www.coffeecountyschools.org/

Chamber of Commerce
www.enterprisealabama.com

Relocation Information
www.enterprisealabama.com