Hoping to attract new residents, the city of Fulton has fixed up four homes and will hold open houses this weekend for prospective buyers. The city worked with the Economic Growth Corporation from Rock Island, and used money from Illinois' share of a national foreclosure settlement.
Fulton Mayor Larry Russell says small towns like his desperately need updated, affordable housing.

Russell says his city also needed this project because it's trying to attract the people who are moving to the area to work at the federal prison in nearby Thomson. And Growth suggested offering up to 34-hundred dollars for down payments and closing costs.
Four senior managers from the prison moved to Fulton last year, and he's hoping more employees will choose his city in the future.
The city will hold a ribbon cutting to celebrate the completion of the four homes on Sunday, and open houses at each one. They're located in various neighborhoods around Fulton.