Quad Cities

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Davenport-Moline-
Rock Island, IA-IL

Common name: Quad Cities
Largest city Other cities	Davenport, Iowa  - Bettendorf, Iowa  - Moline, Illinois  - Rock Island, Illinois  - East Moline, Illinois
Population	Ranked 132nd in the U.S.
- Total	377,625 (2008 est.)[1]
- Density	163.19 /sq. mi.  63.01 /km²
Area	2,314 sq. mi. 5,993 km²
State(s)	- Iowa  - Illinois
Elevation
- Highest point	850 feet (259 m)
- Lowest point	590 feet (180 m)

The Quad Cities^[2][3][4] is a geographic region of the Mid-Mississippi Valley of the United States that includes several communities in the states of Iowa and Illinois. As of 2008, the population is 377,625.^[1] The five most populous cities in the region are:

• Davenport, Iowa
• Moline, Illinois
• Rock Island, Illinois
• Bettendorf, Iowa
• East Moline, Illinois

Before World War I, the area was known as the "Tri-Cities", and included only Davenport, Rock Island, and Moline. With the growth of Rock Island County, East Moline was eventually given "equal status," and the region became known as the "Quad Cities" during the 1930s. With the opening of an Alcoa plant in 1948, Bettendorf grew such that many people in the community openly discussed the adoption of the name "Quint Cities".^{[citation needed]} Indeed, WOC-TV (as KWQC-TV was then called) did much "Quint Cities" promotion in the early-to-mid-1950s. However, by this time, the name "Quad Cities" had become known well beyond the area, and "Quint Cities" never caught on. Eventually Bettendorf passed East Moline in size. The "Quad Cities" name is now technically a misnomer, as the area includes five cities each with a population of over 20,000 and many other contiguous or nearby communities.

Contents 1 Geography 2 History 2.1 Early history 2.2 1980s-current 3 Landmarks 4 Noteworthy Companies 5 Colleges and Universities 6 Media 6.1 FM Radio 6.2 AM Radio 6.3 Analog Television 6.4 Print 7 Transportation 7.1 Roads 7.2 Local transit 8 Sports teams 9 Sports 9.1 See also 10 See also 11 References 12 External links

[edit] Geography

The Quad Cities is located approximately 180 miles (290 km) west of the Chicago area where Interstate 80 crosses the Mississippi River. The Quad Cities is also distinctive for the fact that the Mississippi River flows from east to west as it passes through the heart of the area, with the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf located due north of Rock Island and Moline, respectively.

The Davenport-Moline-Rock Island Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of four counties: Scott County in Iowa and Henry, Mercer, and Rock Island counties in Illinois. The Quad City Metro population is 377,625.^[1]

In addition to the five anchor cities, the Quad Cities area also comprises a number of surrounding smaller communities. Examples of these communities include the Iowa cities of Eldridge, Long Grove, Park View, Blue Grass, Buffalo, Montpelier, Walcott, Maysville, McCausland, Mount Joy, New Liberty, Pleasant Valley, Princeton, Le Claire, Panorama Park and Riverdale. The Illinois communities are Silvis, Milan, Andalusia, Carbon Cliff, Coal Valley, Colona, Geneseo, Hampton, Port Byron, Orion, Kewanee, Aledo, and Rapids City.

The Quad Cities area is one where the telephone companies cooperate with regional phone calls. Iowa and Illinois have different area codes (563 and 309 respectively), yet most calls originating and terminating within the core urban area are placed without long-distance charges by dialing just a 7-digit number. This helps the bi-state area promote itself as a single community, "joined by a river."

The Quad Cities are served by the Quad City International Airport, located in Moline. The airport also markets itself to surrounding areas as an alternative to larger airports, such as those in Chicago. The smaller Davenport Municipal Airport is the home of the Quad City Air Show.

The Illinois Department of Transportation is working with Amtrak to restore passenger train service to the Quad Cities.^[5] The last passenger train in the area (Quad Cities Rocket) ran between Chicago and Rock Island by the Rock Island Railroad until December 31, 1978.

Weather averages for Davenport, IA
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	69 (21)	70 (21)	88 (31)	93 (34)	94 (34)	100 (38)	101 (38)	100 (38)	98 (37)	95 (35)	80 (27)	72 (22)	101 (38)
Average high °F (°C)	30 (-1)	36 (2)	48 (9)	61 (16)	72 (22)	81 (27)	85 (29)	83 (28)	76 (24)	65 (18)	48 (9)	35 (2)	60 (16)
Average low °F (°C)	13 (-11)	19 (-7)	29 (-2)	41 (5)	52 (11)	63 (17)	68 (20)	66 (19)	57 (14)	45 (7)	32 (0)	20 (-7)	42 (6)
Record low °F (°C)	-17 (-27)	-22 (-30)	-3 (-19)	19 (-7)	32 (0)	44 (7)	53 (12)	44 (7)	35 (2)	22 (-6)	8 (-13)	-18 (-28)	-22 (-30)
Precipitation inches (mm)	1.28 (32.5)	1.41 (35.8)	2.59 (65.8)	3.64 (92.5)	4.44 (112.8)	4.75 (120.7)	2.99 (75.9)	4.31 (109.5)	2.90 (73.7)	2.39 (60.7)	2.47 (62.7)	1.93 (49)	2.93 (74.4)
Source: http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/allergies/wxclimatology/monthly/52804</ref>

[edit] History

[edit] Early history

Before European settlers came to inhabit the Quad Cities, it was a home and principal trading place of the Sauk and Fox tribes of Native Americans. Black Hawk State Historic Site in Rock Island preserves part of historic Saukenuk, the principal village of the Sauk tribe and birthplace of its war leader, Black Hawk. In 1832, Sauk chief Keokuk and General Winfield Scott signed a treaty to end the Black Hawk War in Davenport. The treaty resulted in the United States gaining 6 million acres (24,000 km²) of land.

The history of urban settlements in the Quad-Cities hails back to the earliest days of the riverboat. For fourteen miles (21 km) between Le Claire, Iowa, and Rock Island, Illinois, the Mississippi River flowed across a series of finger-like rock projections protruding from either bank. These rapids were difficult for steamboats to traverse, and as demand for river-based transportation increased along the upper Mississippi, the navigability of the river throughout the “Rock Island Rapids” became a greater concern. Over time, a minor industry grew up in the area to meet the steamboats’ needs. Boats needed rest areas to stop before encountering the rapids, places to hire special expert pilots who could help guide the boat through the rocky waters, or, when the water was low, places where goods could be removed and transported by wagon on land past the Rapids.^[6] (Today, the troublesome rocks are submerged six feet underwater in a lake formed by two lock and dams.)

As the Industrial Revolution developed in the United States, many enterprising industrialists looked to the Mississippi River as a promising source of water power, and the combination of energy and easy access to river transportation made the Quad Cities a natural location for industrial development. In 1848, John Deere moved his plough business to Moline. His business was incorporated as Deere & Company in 1868, and today, Deere & Company is the largest employer in the Quad Cities.

The first railroad bridge built across the Mississippi River connected Davenport and Rock Island in 1856. It was built by the Rock Island Railroad Company, and replaced the show seasonal ferry service and winter ice bridges as the primary modes of transportation across the river. Steamboaters saw these nationwide railroads as a threat to their business, and on May 6, 1856, just weeks after it was completed, an angry steamboater crashed the Effie Afton steamboat into the bridge. The owner of the Effie Afton, John Hurd, filed a lawsuit against The Rock Island Railroad Company. The Rock Island Railroad Company selected Abraham Lincoln as their trial lawyer. It was a pivotal trial in Lincoln's career.

It was after the Civil War that a common identity for the region first coalesced. The river towns that were thoughtfully planned and competently led flourished while other settlements, usually get-rich-quick schemes for speculators, failed to pan out. The towns of Davenport, Rock Island, and Moline came to market themselves as the “Tri-Cities,” a cluster of three more-or-less equally sized river communities growing around the small bend of the Mississippi River where it flows east and west.

[edit] 1980s-current

Beginning in the late 1970s, economic conditions caused the region's main employers - agricultural manufacturers - to cease or scale back operations in the Quad Cities. Factories which closed included International Harvester in Rock Island and Case IH in Bettendorf. Moline-based John Deere cut headcount by one half. Later in the 1980s, Caterpillar Inc. closed its factories at Mount Joy and Bettendorf.

Since the 1990’s the Quad Cities government, businesses, non-profits and residents have worked hard to redevelop the region and have achieved national attention for their accomplishments.

Examples of revitalization and rebirth:

• Davenport's River Renaissance (a downtown revitalization project that includes a River Music History Center), an ag-tech venture capital campus, and the Figge Art Museum opened or were completed during the 2000s decade.
• Moline has also attempted renewal of what was once a robust downtown. The "John Deere Commons" facility and i wireless Center (then the "Mark of the Quad Cities") both opened during the 1990s.
• In 2007, Davenport and Rock Island petitioned for and won the title of "most livable small city" from the National Council of Mayors, based upon an unfunded proposal called RiverVision.
• In 2008 Bettendorf, Iowa was listed by CNN.com^[7] as one of the ten best places to buy a house in the United States.

[edit] Landmarks

• Brady Street Stadium, a major high school sports venue along Davenport's Brady Street (U.S. Route 61).
• Davenport Skybridge
• Figge Art Museum, in Davenport.
• Fred Schwengel Memorial Bridge, along Interstate 80, connecting Le Claire and Rapids City.
• Government Bridge, connecting Rock Island Arsenal and Davenport.
• Great Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, a fair and exposition venue in Davenport.
• i wireless Center - arena center in Moline. (formerly the Mark of the Quad Cities)
• I-74 Bridge, connecting Bettendorf and Moline.
• John Deere Pavilion, a small museum and showcase for John Deere equipment.
• John Deere World Headquarters, in Moline.
• Lock and Dam No. 15, on the Mississippi River.
• Modern Woodmen Park, the home of the St. Louis Cardinal A-Ball affiliate Quad Cities River Bandits, Davenport. (formerly John O'Donnell Stadium)
• Putnam Museum and IMAX Theater in Davenport
• Quad City Botanical Center in Rock Island.
• Quad Cities Nuclear Generating Station
• River Music Experience
• Rock Island Arsenal
• Rock Island Centennial Bridge, connecting Rock Island and Davenport.
• Vander Veer Botanical Park
• Col Ballroom, a small arena for music concerts, located in Davenport, about three blocks from the Blackhawk Hotel.

[edit] Noteworthy Companies

• Alcoa
• Deere and Company
• Happy Joe's
• Harris Pizza
• Heart of America Restaurants and Inns
• Hungry Hobo
• Isabel Bloom
• KONE, Inc
• Lee Enterprises
• Rock Island Arsenal
• Von Maur
• Whitey's Ice Cream

[edit] Colleges and Universities

• Augustana College
• Black Hawk College - Community College.
• Eastern Iowa Community College District, consisting of campuses in Bettendorf, Clinton, and Muscatine. Bettendorf's campus is known as Scott Community College.
• Hamilton Technical College
• Kaplan University - satellite campus in Davenport.
• Marycrest International University - closed in 2002
• Palmer Chiropractic College
• Saint Ambrose University
• Western Illinois University - satellite campus in Moline.

[edit] Media

[edit] FM Radio

• 88.5 KALA, Variety (College Radio of St. Ambrose University)
• 89.3 WDLM-FM, Religious Music (RDS)
• 90.3 WVIK, Public Radio
• 91.7 KSUI, Classical (RDS)
• 92.5 WGVV-LP "92.5 Groove FM", Urban Contemporary
• 93.5 KQCS "Star 93.5", Hot AC
• 93.9 WYEC, Soft AC (RDS)
• 94.5 K233AA (Translates 90.9 KUNI), Public Radio
• 96.1 KMXG "Mix 96", Adult Contemporary (RDS - Artist/Title)
• 96.9 WXLP "97X", Classic Hits
• 98.9 WLKU "K-Love", Christian AC (RDS)
• 99.7 KBEA-FM "B 100", CHR/Pop
• 101.3 KUUL "KUUL 101.3", Oldies (RDS - Artist/Title)
• 102.5 WJRE, Country Music (RDS)
• 102.7 KTJT-LP, Religious
• 103.7 WLLR-FM, "103.7 WLLR" Country (HD Radio)
• 104.9 KBOB-FM, "Rock 104-9" Active Rock
• 106.5 KCQQ, "Q 106.5" Classic Rock (RDS - Artist/Title)
• 107.9 KRQC-LP, Religious

[edit] AM Radio

• 960 WDLM, Religious
• 1170 KJOC oldies ("True Oldies")
• 1230 WFXN "Fox Sports 1230", Sports (Fox Sports Radio)
• 1270 WKBF Regional Mexican ("Pantera")
• 1420 WOC, News/Talk
• 1450 WKEI (AM) Talk Radio

[edit] Analog Television

• 4 WHBF, "CBS4", CBS
• 6 KWQC "TV 6", NBC
• 8 WQAD "Newschannel 8", ABC
• 18 KLJB "Fox 18", Fox
• 24 WQPT, PBS
• 26 KGCW channel 26, CW (Licensed to Burlington and available only on cable systems or a KLJB-DT subchannel.)
• 26 WBQD-LP, My Network TV
• 36 KQIN, PBS (Part of the Iowa Public Television Network)

[edit] Print

• Quad-City Times, daily newspaper
• The Dispatch of Moline and the Rock Island Argus, daily newspapers based on the Illinois side
• River Cities Reader, alternative weekly.

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Roads

• Interstate 80 and Interstate 280
• Interstate 88
• Interstate 74
• U.S. Route 6
• U.S. Route 61
• U.S. Route 67
• U.S. Route 150
• Illinois Route 5
• Illinois Route 84
• Illinois Route 92
• Illinois Route 192
• Iowa Highway 22
• Iowa Highway 130

[edit] Local transit

There are three transit operators in the Quad Cities with limited interconnection between them.

• Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District (MetroLINK) serves the Illinois cities of Rock Island, Moline, East Moline, Milan, Silvis, Carbon Cliff, Hampton and Colona. It has 12 routes and a fleet of about 52 buses. It operates a river craft during summer months.
• Davenport Citibus has 13 fixed routes and operates 20 buses, six days a week.
• Bettendorf Transit operates 5 routes, Monday-Satuday and has 8 buses.

[edit] Sports teams

From 1920 to 1926, Rock Island was home to the NFL's Rock Island Independents. Football legend Jim Thorpe was once a member of the team.

Then The Tri-Cities Blackhawks, named in honor of Black Hawk, was the then-Tri Cities first top-level professional sports franchise since the NFL's Rock Island Independents in 1926. The club played in the NBL from 1946 until its merger with the Basketball Association of America following the 1948-49 season to became the National Basketball Association. Hall of famer Red Auerbach coached the Blackhawks during their first NBA season. After the 1950-51 basketball season, the team moved to Milwaukee, becoming the Hawks. After a second move to St. Louis, the team is now the Atlanta Hawks. Professional basketball returned to the Quad Cities during the 1980s and 1990s with the Quad City Thunder of the Continental Basketball Association. The CBA served as the NBA's premiere developmental league and produced many highly regarded NBA stars. From 1987 through the 92-93 season, the Thunder played at Wharton Field House in Moline. Then, starting with the 1993-94 season, The MARK of the Quad Cities (now the i wireless Center) served as the team's new home. Eventually the CBA folded in 2001 and, as a result, the Thunder franchise ceased operations permanently.

[edit] Sports

Club	League	Venue	Established	Championships
Quad Cities River Bandits	MWL, Baseball	Modern Woodmen Park	1960	4
Quad City Mallards	IHL, Ice hockey	i wireless Center	2009	0
Quad City Steamwheelers	af2, Arena football	i wireless Center	1999	2
Quad Cities Riverhawks	PBL, Basketball	Wharton Field House	2006	0

• Quad City River Bandits is a Class A Midwest League minor league baseball team in Davenport. The River Bandits home games are played at Modern Woodmen Park, formerly John O'Donnell Stadium. The team has existed under a variety of names and Major League Baseball team affiliations since 1960. The River Bandits are currently affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals
• Quad City Mallards are an IHL team set to begin play for the 2009-10 season. They will play their home games at the i wireless Center in Moline. The new Mallards replace the former Quad City Flames AHL team which played from 2007-2009 (that team has since moved to Abbotsford, British Columbia, now playing as the Abbotsford Heat.) The original Mallards played in the United Hockey League from 1995-2007.
• Quad City Steamwheelers is an af2 arena football franchise also playing at the i wireless Center
• Quad City Silverbacks were a professional mixed martial arts team competing in the now-defunct International Fight League. Home matches take place at the i wireless Center.
• The Quad City Riverhawks was a PBL (Premier Basketball League) team. They played home games at Wharton Field House in Moline during the 2008 season. It was announced in September 2008 that the Riverhawks would not return for another season.
• Additionally, the i wireless Center occasionally hosts NCAA Division I college basketball conference tournaments as well as NBA and NHL exhibitions.
• Every year, the PGA Tour makes a stop in the Quad Cities. The golf tournament is currently known as the John Deere Classic and has drawn dozens of top PGA players over the years, including Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, and Payne Stewart.

[edit] See also

• Mississippi Athletic Conference for Iowa high school sports.

[edit] See also

• Knights Drum and Bugle Corps
• Bluebox Limited, Bettendorf-based film production company
• African Americans in Davenport, Iowa

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Quad City Times newspaper - Local News and Information
• Quad-Cities Online - Local Information
• Quad City Development Group
• WeAreQC. Quad City Resource. Built by the Quad Cities
• QCANews.com - Local News

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Coordinates: 41°31′N 90°32′W / 41.517°N 90.533°W / 41.517; -90.533