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Population of Quad Cities

L

LuteHawk

HR Legend
Nov 30, 2011
28,832
20,658
113
The latest available stats are:

Davenport, Iowa............102,169
Moline Illinois...................41,929
Rock Island, Illinois.........38,000
Bettendorf, Iowa.............35,919

The Iowa side has about 138,000 and the Illinois side has about 80,000.
However, entire metro area of the Quad Cities is about 300,000. It does
include East Moline, Milan on the Illinois side and Eldridge, Blue Grass
on the Iowa side to name a few.

Rock Island is losing population, while Moline and Bettendorf are growing.
Davenport seems to stay around the 100,000 mark which is stable .
The two biggest employers are the Rock Island Arsenal and John Deere

Bottom Line: Who enjoys the Quad Cities as a place to raise a family?
 
The entertainment choices are good for family fun.
See the River Bandits play baseball and ride the giant
Ferris Wheel at Modern Woodsmen Park. Attend a
concert at The Mark & listen to a popular singer. Go
to Black Hawk State Park and hike some scenic trails.
Play golf at the John Deere Classic course.
 
I enjoy living on Iowa side and only going to Illinois for work and occasional activities

The pizza is a major drawback but the mexican food options make up for it
 
It is interesting that two biggest employers in Quads,
the R.I.Arsenal and John Deere, are both in Illinois.
Yet most people live on the Iowa side. I know a young
engineer who lives in DeWitt, Iowa and drives to
John Deere in Moline 5 days a week.
 
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I've never been a big city guy, so I like the pace and availability of things here. Cost of living overall is reasonable. There's a number of good fishing and outdoor rec spots. Sure there are other places I could live, but most of my family and a lot of my friends are here. It's also easy enough to get out of town for a weekend and hit up Iowa City, DSM, Chicago, etc.
 
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I grew up in Moline and worked in Moline for about seven years after college. Live in a smaller suburb of Chicago now. I loved growing up in the QCs, but am glad we raised our son in the suburbs. I would certainly move back if the situation was right, but cannot see my son or his friends ever wanting to make the QCs a prime spot after they graduate from college.
 
The mighty and majestic Mississippi River offers a person
the opportunity for boating and fishing. Some days it is
fun to just watch the river traffic before your very eyes.
In the Summer there are still some river cruises available.
 
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LuteHawk said:
It is interesting that two biggest employers in Quads,
the R.I.Arsenal and John Deere, are both in Illinois.
Yet most people live on the Iowa side. I know a young
engineer who lives in DeWitt, Iowa and drives to
John Deere in Moline 5 days a week.
Click to expand...
Taxes!!!
 
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LuciousBDragon said:
FIFY
Click to expand...
Not aware of that but the pizza is very good. Anybody who doesn't like mozzarella cheese, sausage, pepperoni, veggies on a malty crust has issues or is just trying to be trendy by saying they hate QC Style Pizza. Either way that person is being ridiculous or is a picky eater.
 
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Tom Paris said:
Not aware of that but the pizza is very good. Anybody who doesn't like mozzarella cheese, sausage, pepperoni, veggies on a malty crust has issues or is just trying to be trendy by saying they hate QC Style Pizza. Either way that person is being ridiculous or is a picky eater.
Click to expand...

Last time I was back home I ordered a sausage mushroom & cheese combo with some Front Street beers. Ate the entire thing solo. I am both proud and ashamed.
 
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bladel said:
Last time I was back home I ordered a sausage mushroom & cheese combo with some Front Street beers. Ate the entire thing solo. I am both proud and ashamed.
Click to expand...
We had Front Street beers during the fireworks the other night. There's an Antonella's - also really good, but not QC Style Pizza - right next to it so the two businesses seem to work pretty well together.
 
bladel said:
Kinda crazy to think Bettendorf is close to overtaking RI. Would've been unthinkable a few decades ago.
Click to expand...
Rock Island appears to be rapidly approaching East St. Louis levels of economic despair and decline. It’s a major anchor around the neck of the regional economy. I’d guess more than 50 percent of downtown buildings there are vacant.
 
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jdw10224405 said:
I've never been a big city guy, so I like the pace and availability of things here. Cost of living overall is reasonable. There's a number of good fishing and outdoor rec spots. Sure there are other places I could live, but most of my family and a lot of my friends are here. It's also easy enough to get out of town for a weekend and hit up Iowa City, DSM, Chicago, etc.
Click to expand...
I call the QC “the biggest place nobody’s ever heard of” 😂

Weirdly, several of my Madison friends thought it was bigger than Madtown, since it’s so spread out and car-centric.

There is as much to do here as most of its peer Midwestern metro areas (Peoria, Cedar Rapids, Rockford, etc.) Probably a small step down from Madison, Des Moines, Indianapolis, etc., but a cosmopolitan enough vibe by Midwest standards.
 
win1forthe said:
I grew up in Moline and worked in Moline for about seven years after college. Live in a smaller suburb of Chicago now. I loved growing up in the QCs, but am glad we raised our son in the suburbs. I would certainly move back if the situation was right, but cannot see my son or his friends ever wanting to make the QCs a prime spot after they graduate from college.
Click to expand...
Other than proximity to Chicago, is there really that much difference between day to day life in the burbs than in the QCA? Seem awfully similar to me.
 
Tom Paris said:
Not aware of that but the pizza is very sub par. Anybody who doesn't like mozzarella cheese, sausage, pepperoni, veggies on a crappy crust has issues or is just trying to save lives by saying they hate QC Style Pizza. Either way that person is being ridiculous or is a picky eater, or wants to live a healthy life with regular bowel movements.
Click to expand...
FIFY
 
Hendy hawk said:
Taxes!!!
Click to expand...
Actually, marketing. And real estate sale folks who like big commissions by lying about it.

While property taxes are higher in Illinois, overall tax burden including income tax and fees like license plates make it pretty much a wash. The public schools are higher rated on the Iowa side, so that is a legit factor, but the tax thing is actually false.
 
torbee said:
Other than proximity to Chicago, is there really that much difference between day to day life in the burbs than in the QCA? Seem awfully similar to me.
Click to expand...
I grew up in the QC and lived for 6 years in the Chicago burbs. The two biggest differences are cost of living and traffic.
 
torbee said:
Well that makes the burbs sound worse. I guess more higher end chain restaurants and being an hour instead of 2.5 hours From the city make up for it?
Click to expand...
The ironic thing about that is that we usually didn't go into the city very often unless friends or family from the QC visited and wanted to go into the city. Otherwise the traffic and parking was just too much hassle.
 
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LuteHawk said:
It is interesting that two biggest employers in Quads,
the R.I.Arsenal and John Deere, are both in Illinois.
Yet most people live on the Iowa side. I know a young
engineer who lives in DeWitt, Iowa and drives to
John Deere in Moline 5 days a week.
Click to expand...

Hey, I think we finally figured it out. You write brochures.
 
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The metro area of Peoria took a hit when Caterpillar, Inc.
moved their headquarters to suburban Chicago. The
Illinois River between Peoria and East Peoria does not
compare to the mighty Mississippi River.

The top public school systems are not in the city of Peoria,
but in suburbs like Dunlap, Morton and Washington. Family
entertainment is not as readily available compared to the
Quad Cities. Peoria is currently in a transition to attract
new employers.
 
I know a place
Where there’s work to be done
Where there’s room for me
and who I want to be.
Somewhere I can do the things
I’m good enough to do.
Where I can build my tomorrow.
Where I can live with the eagles.
Fly with the eagles and be free.
Quad Cities U.S.A.
Lookin’ better every day
Quad Cities, you’re the place I want to be.
I want to be.


There’s a river
A stream that works while it plays.
A road through history
Down to the shining sea.
This mighty, rollin’ river,
tells me that I’m home
Where I can build my tomorrow.
Where I can live with the river
Flow with the river and be free.
Quad Cities U.S.A.
Growin’ stronger every day
Quad Cities you’re the place I want to be.
I want to be.


On this good land
The seasons flavor my life.
And it’s good to know
Of things that live and grow.
I can raise my family
Where the good life’s gonna be.
And I can build my tomorrow.
Where I can live on the good land
Grow with the good land and be free.
Quad Cities U.S.A.
Growing better every day
Quad Cities you’re the place I want to be.


Where I can live with the eagles,
Fly with the eagles and be free.
Quad Cities U.S.A.
Lookin’ better every day
Quad Cities, you’re the place I want to be.
I want to be.
I want to be.
 
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torbee said:
Other than proximity to Chicago, is there really that much difference between day to day life in the burbs than in the QCA? Seem awfully similar to me.
Click to expand...
You are correct, there are a lot of similarities, but, in general, I think the suburbs offer ‘more’. Yes, there is more traffic, but there are more job opportunities, more things to do or see, within an hour and a half I can get to Chicago or Milwaukee. Definitely not as many eye sores, like you mentioned about the buildings in downtown RI. I think the people of the QCs are more genuine and I struggle with that.
 
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I was informed that Johnny Cash gave a concert
in the mid-1950's at the Coliseum Ballroom in
Davenport.
 
QC's biggest drawback is its restaurant scene. Can't keep nicer high end places open and having Mexican food doesn't satisfy the variety of ethnic restaurants it should support for a town that size. I can't understand why because there has to be money in that town to afford nicer places. My old man told me there was/are a lot of supper club/country club like places that have private dinner for the upper crust. I always attributed it to peoples desire for large volume of food for a cheap cost. That and "Iowa nice" seems to always mean a steak house.
 
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