 As long ago as 1850, it was listed as an incorporated community on the U.S. Census, but did not appear again on the rolls until its reincorporation in 1976.In 1981, it had the "dubious" distinction of being ranked the poorest incorporated community in the United States according to the U.S. Census.As of 1984, then-Mayor Jimmy Williams (b. c1922) stated the town received just $2,000 per year from state tax receipts and federal revenue-sharing funds and a sum total of $40 in the bank.