Bentonville has been home to Walmart since Sam Walton purchased a store on the town square in 1950 and renamed it Walton's 5 & 10. The retailer continued a rapid growth, but Helen Walton wished to remain in Bentonville to raise the family, and thus by the time Walmart became the #1 "Fortune 500" in 2002, it was still based in Bentonville. The Walmart "Home Office" now includes more than 20 buildings throughout Bentonville, specifically along Walton Boulevard (US 71B) in the western part of the city. In 2017 Walmart announced their intention to construct a new central headquarters in Bentonville, consolidating many of their employees to a more centralized campus.