Later that morning after the 2 a.m. derailment, Carbondale residents cooked breakfast for the injured. Long-time Carbondale resident Dorothy Livingston said residents of the community pulled together and transported the injured to Topeka hospitals.

Amtrak recently recognized the community for its efforts, but Livingston said others also are noticing what Carbondale has to offer.

"If there's a house for sale, it doesn't last long," she said. "They just snap it right up."

The community is located in northern Osage County, about 20 miles south of Topeka along US-75 highway. About 17,200 people live in the county, bucking a trend of population decreases that many Kansas counties have faced. Osage County, which was founded in 1859, includes 695 square miles.

Carbondale is the county's second-largest town, after Osage City. The community, which was founded in 1869, is home to about 1,500 residents.

Children in the town attend schools in Unified School District 434, Sante Fe Trail, in Carbondale.

Livingston attended schools in the district until 1944. She said she later left Carbondale to pursue work throughout many of the Southern states before settling down in the community in 1986.

She said many businesses left, much like the train depot that made frequent trips to the Capital City.

"We don't have the businesses we had," she said. "We're probably too close to Topeka."

But many of the businesses are coming back. Livingston said the town has experienced growth in recent years, with an influx of people searching for small-town life.

Livingston said she expects newly elected and energetic city council members to bring improvements to the city, including better streets. She said she attends council meetings and believes the new members have the community's best interests in mind.

"We have a council that really wants to improve the town and do things," Livingston said.

The annual Fun Fest, in September, features rides, a pancake feed, a street dance and other events to pull the community together. Livingston said many new residents probably come to Carbondale for the same reasons she returned to the community.

"You don't know people in the big towns like you do in smaller towns," she said. "You might know people you work with and that's it."