Issue link: http://dsnews.uberflip.com/i/1109134
82 Small Towns Where You'd Actually Want to Live." According to the report, small towns were beginning to attract new residents. In 2017, populations in small towns grew for the first time in this decade, according to realtor.com's assessment of U.S. Census data. us, the towns that made the list had reasonable home prices, low unemployment rates, low violent crime and property crime rates, high housing affordability, home price appreciation over the past two years, and a little "something extra." In addition to the favorable statistics, the towns in the top 10 had unique characteristics. With a median price of $134,500, Boone, Iowa made the No. 1 spot. e picturesque town with its main street, Story Street, lined with friendly storefronts adorned with flower baskets has historic homes with large front porches available for just $100,000 and also of- fers one of the highest median incomes in the state at $57,906. No. 2 on the list, Van Wert, Ohio, had the lowest median home price ($94,600) of the top 10, as well as several amenities not every small town, has such as a civic theatre and art center, as well as a Main Street with storefronts from the 1950s. Two hours from Indianapolis, Decatur, Indiana has a unique vibe that is attracting homebuyers in their 20s. ough its median list price was $117,500, small homes in the town can go for just $70,000, and some older neighborhoods are currently being revitalized, Realtor.com said. e town's Callithumpian Festival takes Halloween to a new level with zombie walks, a haunted wagon tour, and more. McPherson, Kansas (median price $158,800); Los Alamos, New Mexico ($375,800); Austin, Minnesota ($115,000); Williston, North Dakota ($240,000); Mexico, Missouri ($94,800); Merrill, Wisconsin ($145,000); and Andrews, Texas ($232,000) rounded off the list of the top 10 small towns to live in. MISSOURI Central Bancompany Strengthens Risk Assessment Central Bancompany has implemented Wolters Kluwer technology to help manage regulatory changes and strengthen risk as- sessment processes across the Missouri-based financial institution's 13 affiliate Midwest- ern banks. e bank holding company has implemented a regulatory change offering along with Wolters Kluwer's risk and controls assessment solution to streamline processes and enhance compliance risk management and controls among its affiliate banks. Wolters Kluwer said that its regulatory change management platform, OneSumX will help Central Bancompany track regulatory changes, map them to the appropriate lines of business, and monitor the implementation of the changes in one system. "As we continue to evolve our compli- ance management system to fit the size and complexity of our organization, the neces- sity to enhance our second line of defense and change management to become more streamlined, efficient and structured through- out our organization became apparent," said Shannon omason, SVP, Chief Compliance Officer at Central Bancompany. "Adding these solutions gives us immediate transparency and connectivity into the array of regulatory rules and developments impacting our business, and allows us to respond in a coordinated, compli- ant manner." "ese offerings illustrate our longstanding commitment to providing financial institu- tions like Central Bancompany with reliable options for managing their risk and regula- tory compliance efforts," said Chuck Ross, VP, Compliance Program Management for Wolters Kluwer. "Given the volume, breadth, frequency, and depth of regulatory changes IOWA Des Moines Earns Top Ranking for Affordable Housing According to a study by WalletHub that ranked the best capitals to live in, though 17 state capitals in the U.S. are the largest cities within their respective states, the biggest population doesn't necessarily translate to the best quality of life. For the rankings, Wal- letHub compared all 50 state capitals across 54 key indicators of affordability, economic well-being, quality of education and health, and quality of life. While Austin ranked among the top 20 in terms of affordability, it received top marks for economic well being as well as the quality of education and health, and quality of life. Boise, Idaho, with an overall score of 64.78, was ranked second, followed by Raleigh, North Carolina (64.52); Madison, Wisconsin (63.57); and Lincoln, Nebraska (62.67). Bismarck, North Dakota; Concord New Hampshire; Denver, Colorado; Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Des Moines, Iowa also ranked among the top 10 state capitals. In fact, Des Moines was the only state capital among the top 10 that also earned a top ranking for afford- able housing, coming in fourth after Jefferson City, Missouri; Pierre, South Dakota; and To- peka, Kansas. Springfield, Illinois was ranked fifth for most affordable housing even though it was at the 30th spot in the overall rankings. Boston, Massachusetts, and Honolulu, Hawaii, tied for a spot for state capitals with the least affordable housing. ey were joined by Denver, Colorado; Sacramento, California; and Richmond, Virginia. ree of the state capitals that were among the top 10 in the overall rankings were also ranked high for cities with the highest median household income. While Juneau, Alaska, got the top spot in this list, Cheyenne, Wyoming; Raleigh, North Carolina; Austin, Texas; and Bismarck, North Dakota, were among the top five cities on this list. Hartford, Connecticut; Providence, Rhode Island; Honolulu, Hawaii; Trenton, New Jersey; and Jackson, Missis- sippi, were among the cities with the lowest household income. Boone Is The Best Small Town To Live In e town of Boone, Iowa topped realtor. com's recent list of the "Top 10 Affordable of low-income households in St. Louis (families with income in the bottom 25th percentile for the metro area), are homeowners. Source: RedfinTop Metros for Low- Income Homeownership report STAT INSIGHT 55%