This is a classic Midwestern city, smack dab in the corn and soybean belt of central Illinois. Archer-Daniels, the agricultural behemoth, makes its headquarters here and other manufacturing facilities included food processing and tool making.
The real estate bubble was just a rumor here; price appreciation was modest all during the boom. Slow population growth combined with vast amounts of cheap land kept residential constructions costs low and there's plenty of existing homes available for a pittance.One three-bedroom house for sale on the western edge of town is 1,700 square feet on two acres of ground and lists for just $95,000.
The 2010 Census revealed that lots of U.S. towns are losing population. What makes some different is that they're not rusting old industrial cities, but fine places to live and raise families. More
