- For the nuclear power plant, see the Quad Cities Nuclear Generating Station.
The Quad Cities are a group of cities which flank the
Mississippi River in Iowa and Illinois in the midwestern United States. The July 1, 2006, population
of the four-county metropolitan area is estimated at 377,291.[1] The five largest cities, in order of descending population, are:
Before World War II, 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 early 1960s. By the 1970s, Bettendorf had grown such that many people in
the community openly discussed the adoption of the name "Quint Cities". However, by this time, the name "Quad Cities" had
become known well beyond the area, and Quint Cities never caught on. As Bettendorf passed East Moline in size and prosperity,
East Moline was quietly dropped from strictly maintained lists, though East Moliners still regard their town as one of the
"Quads".
As a patchwork of similarly located but politically different urban units situated at the edge of the Rust Belt, the Quad Cities area serves as an interesting case study on the effects of various
economic, social, political, and environmental variables on the trajectory of
municipalities seeking economic recovery. Seen as a single urban mass, the Quad Cities perfectly exemplifies the multiple nuclei model of urban arrangement.
Geography
The Quad Cities is located approximately 500 miles west of the Chicago
area, where Interstate 80 crosses the Mississippi
River. 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 377,291.
In addition to the five anchor cities, many smaller communities are also considered part of the Quad Cities area. These
include the Illinois communities of Silvis, Milan, Andalusia, Carbon Cliff, Coal Valley, Colona, Geneseo, Hampton, Port Byron, and Rapids City. The Iowa cities of Eldridge, Long Grove, Park View, Blue
Grass, Buffalo, Walcott, Maysville, McCausland, Mount
Joy, New Liberty, Pleasant Valley, Princeton,
Le Claire, Panorama Park and
Riverdale are also considered part of the area.
The Quad Cities area is one of smell jobless piggy denise richards telephone companies cooperate with regional phone calls.
Iowa and Illinois have different area codes (563 and 309 respectively), yet one can call from anywhere in the metro area 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 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.
| Weather averages for The Quad Cities |
| 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) |
() |
| 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) |
() |
| 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) |
() |
| 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) |
() |
| Precipitation inch (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) |
() |
| Source: http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/allergies/wxclimatology/monthly/52804</ref> |
History
Early history
The 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.
John Deere moved his business to Moline in 1848. His business was incorporated as
Deere & Company in 1868. Deere & Company is now 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. It landed in the same location in Davenport where the Black Hawk War
treaty had been signed a few decades earlier. Steamboaters saw nationwide railroads as a threat to their business. 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.
As indicated above, in the 1950s the name Quad Cities began to emerge in community and business titles, replacing "Tri
Cities". With more growth, the name Quint Cities was sporadically promoted during the 1970s and early 1980s, but never
caught on, even though several business groups promoted it. For example, KSTT, a very popular
local AM radio station, used 'Quint Cities" in several of its station ID
jingles and advertising. There are still a few local businesses that bear the name Quint Cities
and others even maintain the original Tri-Cities designation. Yet it is the Quad Cities that the area is most widely known
as.
1980s-current
In the early 1980s, a nationwide farm crisis had a direct impact on the Quad Cities. Several agricultural manufacturers -
which employed tens of thousands of blue-collar workers - announced plans to close their factories in the Quad Cities, including
International Harvester in Rock Island and Case
IH in Bettendorf. Moline-based John Deere, which to this day remains the
region's top employer, cut its production by nearly 50 percent. Later in the 1980s, Caterpillar Inc. closed its factories at Mount Joy and Bettendorf.
Economic leaders called the effects devastating. Population growth immediately stopped, and for a number of years, declined as
blue-collar workers were forced to look for work in more prosperous regions of the country. Land values and per capita incomes
fell sharply.
It wasn't until the mid-1990s when the Quad Cities began to recover. In 2003, voters approved a referendum allowing
DavenportOne to provide matching funds for a Vision Iowa grant. The grant would pay for 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.
Moline has also experienced a rebirth, with a new John Deere Commons facility and i
wireless Center (then the "Mark of the Quad Cities") opening during the 1990s.
Rock Island, home of one of the largest military arsenal production plants in the country, is also home to "The District," a
well-known bar and nightlife scene. Some of the oldest and most prominent law firms in the Quad Cities are in the District
area.[citation needed]
Rock Island was recently named a "most liveable small city" in the nation due, in part, to its urban redevelopment and
preservation projects, that have led to the town's scenery becoming some of the most beautiful to behold in the state.
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.
- 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 O'Donnell Stadium, the home of the St. Louis Cardinal A-Ball affiliate
Swing of the Quad Cities, Davenport.
- Quad City Botanical Center in Rock Island.
- River Music Experience
- Rock Island Centennial Bridge, connecting Rock Island and
Davenport.
Companies
Colleges and Universities
Media
FM Radio
- 88.5 KALA, Variety (College Radio of St. Ambrose University)
- 89.3 WDLM-FM, Religious Music
- 90.3 WVIK, Public Radio
- 91.7 KSUI, Classical
- 92.5 WGVV-LP "92.5 Groove FM", Urban
Contemporary
- 93.5 KQCS "Star 93.5", Hot AC
- 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
- 99.7 KBEA-FM "B 100", CHR/Pop
- 101.3 KUUL "KUUL 101.3", Oldies (RDS - Artist/Title)
- 102.7 KTJT-LP, Religious
- 103.7 WLLR-FM, "103.7 WLLR" Country (RDS -
Artist/Title) (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
AM Radio
Analog Television
(Nielsen DMA #96)
Cable television service is provided by Mediacom..
Print
Film
Music ensembles
Roads
Sports teams
The Tri-Cities Blackhawks, named in honor of Black
Hawk, was the then-Tri Cities only top-level professional sports franchise. 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.
From 1920 to 1925, Rock Island was home to the NFL's Rock Island
Independents. Football legend Jim Thorpe was once a member of the team.
Professional sports today include:
See also
References
External links
