Information AboutQuad Cities |
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in Moline]] 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 . The Roman Catholic Diocese Of Davenport serves the Iowa portion of the Quad Cities as well as the southeast quarter of Iowa . This diocese has its headquarters in Davenport. The Diocese Of Peoria serves the Illinois portion of the Quad Cities. GEOGRAPHY The Quad Cities is located approximately 170 miles west of the 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 the few places in the country where 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.
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 km&2) 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 is home to "The District," a well-known bar and nightlife scene. LANDMARKS
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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:
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