| Davenport | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Downtown Davenport, viewed from Rock Island, Illinois across the Mississippi River to the north. | |
| Motto: Working together to serve you | |
| Location of Davenport in Scott County (left) and location of Scott County in the State of Iowa | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Iowa |
| County | Scott |
| Settled | May 14, 1836 |
| Incorporated | January 25, 1839 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| • Mayor | Bill Gluba (NP/D)[1] |
| Area | |
| • City | 64.9 sq mi (168.1 km2) |
| • Land | 62.8 sq mi (162.7 km2) |
| • Water | 2.2 sq mi (5.7 km2) |
| Elevation | 580 ft (177 m) |
| Population (2010 census) | |
| • City | 99,685 |
| • Rank | 3rd in Iowa |
| • Density | 1,566.5/sq mi (604.8/km2) |
| • Metro | 379,690 (134th) |
| • Demonym | Davenporters |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 52801–52809 |
| Area code(s) | 563 |
| FIPS code | 19-19000 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0455799 |
| Website | www.cityofdavenportiowa.com |
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk War stationed at nearby Fort Armstrong. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 99,685, making it Iowa's third-largest city. As of 2012, the mayor of Davenport is Bill Gluba. Davenport is the largest of the Quad Cities. The Quad Cities also consists of neighboring Bettendorf and the Illinois cities of Moline, East Moline, and Rock Island and has a population of 379,690.
Located approximately half way between Chicago and Des Moines, Davenport is on the border of Iowa and Illinois. The city is prone to frequent flooding due to its location on the Mississippi River. There are two main universities: Saint Ambrose University and Palmer College of Chiropractic, which is where the first chiropractic adjustment took place. Several annual music festivals take place in Davenport, including the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, The Mississippi Valley Fair, and the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival. An internationally known 7-mile (11 km) foot race called the Bix 7 is run during the festival. The city has a Class A minor league baseball team, the Quad Cities River Bandits. Davenport has 27 parks and over 12 miles (19 km) of recreational paths for biking or walking.
Four interstates and two major United States Highways serve the city. Davenport has seen steady population growth since its incorporation, with an exception being the 1980s, when the population decreased due to job loss. Davenport has a declining crime rate and a low rate of unemployment, and was ranked as the most affordable metropolitan area in 2010 by Forbes. In 2007, Davenport, along with neighboring Rock Island, won the City Livability Award in the small-city category from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Notable natives of the city have included jazz musician Bix Beiderbecke and former National Football League running back Roger Craig.
Contents |
The United States acquired 828,000 square miles (2,140,000 km2) of land from France under the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The land is in the present day central United States. Lieutenant Zebulon Pike was the first official United States representative to explore the Upper Mississippi River which runs through the newly acquired land and present-day Davenport. On August 27, 1805, Pike camped on the present day site of Davenport.[2]
A treaty was signed in 1832 by Sauk Indian tribe chief Keokuk and United States Army General Winfield Scott to end the Black Hawk War. The future Davenport founder Antoine LeClaire served as translator. Chief Keokuk gave a generous portion of the land to Antoine's wife, Marguerite, who was the granddaughter of a Sac chief. Antoine built their home on the exact spot where the treaty was signed, as stipulated by Keokuk or he would have forfeited the land. Antoine did so, finishing the Treaty House in the spring of 1833. Davenport was established on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire, and named after his good friend Colonel George Davenport who was stationed at Fort Armstrong during the war. They city was incorporated on January 25, 1839.[3]
Scott County was formed by an act of the Wisconsin Territorial legislature in 1837.[4] Davenport and neighbor Rockingham both campaigned to become the county seat. The city with the most votes from Scott County citizens in the February 1838 election would become the county seat. On the eve of the election, Davenport citizens acquired the temporary service of Dubuque laborers so they could vote in the election. Davenport won the election with the help of the laborers. Rockingham supporters protested the elections to the territorial governor, on the grounds the laborers from Dubuque were not Scott County residents. The governor refused to certify the results of the election. A second election was held the following August. To avoid another import of voters, the governor set a 60-day residency requirement for all voters. Davenport was again the victor by only two votes. Because the margin of victory was so close a third election in the summer of 1840 was held. As the August election drew nearer, Rockingham residents grew tired of the county seat cause, and the efforts of Davenporters were difficult to challenge. Davenport easily won the third election. Consequently, to ensure that the county seat issue would not be played out again, Davenport built the first county courthouse.[5]
Rock Island Railroad built the first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River in 1856. It connected Davenport to Rock Island, Illinois.[6] This railway connection caused transportation and commerce with Chicago to significantly improve.The addition of new railroad lines to Muscatine and Iowa City, and the acquiring of other lines by the Rock Island Railroad, caused Davenport to became a commercial railroad hub.[2]
Steamboat companies saw nationwide railroads as a threat to their business and on May 6, 1856, just weeks after the bridge was completed, a steamboat captain deliberately crashed the Effie Afton into the bridge. The owner of the Effie Afton, John Hurd, filed a lawsuit against the Rock Island Railroad Company. Abraham Lincoln was the lead defense lawyer for the railroad company.[6] The decision of the United States Supreme Court upheld the right to bridge navigable streams, therefore the bridge was allowed to remain.[7]
Prior to the start of the Civil War, Governor Samuel J. Kirkwood declared Davenport to be Iowa's first military headquarters and five camps were set up in the city to aid the Union.[8]
The Davenport City Hall was built in 1895 for the meager price of $100,000 ($2.63 million in 2012 dollars). [9] Architectural journals of the time poked fun at the project due to the small amount of money budgeted.[10] The skyline began forming in the 1920s with the building of the Kahl Building, the Parker Building, and the Capitol Theatre during an economic and building expansion.
By 1932 thousands of Davenport residents were on public relief due to the Great Depression. A shantytown grew in the west end of the city along the Mississippi River. Sickness, hunger, and unsanitary living conditions plagued the area. The situation would soon change, as many citizens went to work for the Works Progress Administration and Davenport experienced a boom after World War II. Oscar Mayer, Ralston Purina, and other companies built plants in west Davenport. The Interstate highway network was brought to Davenport in 1956. By 1959 more than 1,000 homes a year were being constructed. By the late 1970s the good times were over for both downtown and local businesses and industries. The farm crisis of the 1980s negatively affected Davenport and the rest of the Quad Cities, 35,000 workers lost their jobs throughout the entire Quad Cities area.[11] The Caterpillar plant on the city's north side closed, causing the loss of employment for many residents. The 1990s showed the beginnings of a resurgence for the city.[11] In recent years, many renovations and building additions have occurred to revitalize the downtown area, including repairing Modern Woodmen Park, the building of the Skybridge and the Figge Art Museum.
Davenport's longitude and latitude coordinates in decimal form are 41.542982, −90.590745.[12] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 64.9 square miles (168 km2), of which, 62.8 square miles (163 km2) is land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2) (3.31%) is water.[13] Davenport is located approximately 170 miles (270 km) west of Chicago and 170 miles (270 km) east of the Iowa state capital of Des Moines. The city is located about 200 miles (320 km) north of St. Louis, Missouri, and 265 miles (426 km) southeast of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Farmland surrounds Davenport, outside the Quad Cities area.
Davenport is located on the banks of the Mississippi River and has a maximum depth of around 30 to 40 feet (9.1 to 12 m) and is 2,217 feet (676 m) wide where the Centennial Bridge crosses it. The river flows from east to west along Davenport's banks, as opposed to its usual north to south direction.[14] From the river the city starts to slope north up a hill, which is steep at some points. The streets of the city, especially downtown and in the central part of the town, follow a grid design. Davenport often makes national headlines when the Mississippi River floods.[15] It is the largest city bordering the Mississippi that has no permanent floodwall or levee.[16] Davenport prefers the open access to the river for parks and vistas over having access cut off by dikes and levees. Davenport has adopted ordinances that any new construction in the floodplain must be elevated above the 100-year-flood level or protected with walls. As a result, former mayor Phil Yerington publicly expressed the view that if they "let Mother Nature take her course, we'll all be better off".[15] An example of a building that is elevated or flood-proofed in Davenport is the Figge Art Museum.[17]
Under the Köppen climate classification, Davenport is considered to have a humid continental climate (Dfa). Summers are very warm to hot with high levels of humidity. Winters have cold temperatures and often high winds, with snow likely from November through February. Average snowfall in Davenport is 30.7 inches (780 mm) per year.[18] January is on average the coldest month, while July is the warmest.[19] The highest temperature recorded in Davenport was 103 °F (39 °C) on July 18, 2006.[20] The lowest temperature, −22 °F (−30 °C), was recorded on February 2 and February 3, 1996.[21] Substantial weather changes frequently occur at three to four day intervals as a result of mid-latitude storm tracks, which is where low and high pressure extratropical disturbances occur.[22][23]
While situated squarely in the path of Tornado Alley no devastating tornado has ever touched down in Davenport.[24] Flooding, however, is often a problem in Davenport due to the lack of a flood wall. During the Great Flood of 1993, the water crested at 22.63 feet (6.90 m) on July 9.[25] This is nearly 8 feet (2.4 m) above the 14.9-foot (4.5 m) flood stage. Major flooding in Davenport causes many problems. Roads in and around the downtown area, including U.S. Route 67, are closed and cause increased traffic on other city roads. The effects of major flooding can be long-lasting. For example, during the 2008 flooding, Credit Island in the city's southwest corner remained closed for 5½ months while crews worked on cleaning up damage and removing river debris.[26] Duck Creek, a stream situated in Bettendorf and Davenport, is also vulnerable to flash flooding. Severe thunderstorms on June 16, 1990, created heavy flash flooding in Bettendorf and Davenport that killed four people.[27] Another major flood happened on June 12, 2008, when severe thunderstorms caused Duck Creek to overflow its banks and flood properties and nearby streets (see Iowa flood of 2008).[28]
| Climate data for Quad Cities (Quad City International Airport) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 29.8 (−1.2) |
35.6 (2.0) |
48.3 (9.1) |
61.7 (16.5) |
73.3 (22.9) |
82.7 (28.2) |
86.1 (30.1) |
83.9 (28.8) |
76.5 (24.7) |
64.4 (18.0) |
48.0 (8.9) |
34.5 (1.4) |
60.40 (15.78) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 21.1 (−6.1) |
26.9 (−2.8) |
38.7 (3.7) |
50.5 (10.3) |
61.7 (16.5) |
71.2 (21.8) |
75.3 (24.1) |
73.2 (22.9) |
65.0 (18.3) |
53.0 (11.7) |
39.1 (3.9) |
26.4 (−3.1) |
50.18 (10.10) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 12.3 (−10.9) |
18.2 (−7.7) |
29.0 (−1.7) |
39.3 (4.1) |
50.0 (10.0) |
59.7 (15.4) |
64.5 (18.1) |
62.4 (16.9) |
53.4 (11.9) |
41.6 (5.3) |
30.1 (−1.1) |
18.3 (−7.6) |
39.90 (4.39) |
| Rainfall inches (mm) | 1.58 (40.1) |
1.51 (38.4) |
2.92 (74.2) |
3.82 (97) |
4.25 (108) |
4.63 (117.6) |
4.03 (102.4) |
4.41 (112) |
3.16 (80.3) |
2.80 (71.1) |
2.73 (69.3) |
2.20 (55.9) |
38.04 (966.2) |
| Snowfall inches (cm) | 10.2 (25.9) |
7.0 (17.8) |
5.0 (12.7) |
1.4 (3.6) |
trace | 0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.2 (0.5) |
3.0 (7.6) |
8.4 (21.3) |
35.2 (89.4) |
| Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.01 in) | 9.8 | 8.0 | 10.6 | 11.0 | 12.1 | 10.6 | 10.0 | 10.1 | 8.1 | 8.8 | 10.2 | 10.0 | 119.3 |
| Avg. snowy days | 8.0 | 5.3 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 2.8 | 6.5 | 27.4 |
| Sunshine hours | 148.8 | 155.3 | 179.8 | 210.0 | 254.2 | 285.0 | 300.7 | 272.8 | 222.0 | 192.2 | 123.0 | 114.7 | 2,458.5 |
| Source: NOAA (normals, 1971-2000)[29], HKO (sun) [30] | |||||||||||||
Davenport has several neighborhoods dating back to the 1840s.[31] The original city plot was around current day Ripley and 5th Streets, where Antoine LeClaire had built his house. The city can be divided into five areas: downtown, central, east end, near north and northwest, and west end. Many architectural designs are found throughout the city including Victorian, Queen Anne, Tudor Revival, and others.[32] Many of the original neighborhoods were inhabited by German settlers.[31]
The east side of the city dates back to 1850 and has always contained higher end housing. The proximity and commanding view of the river kept these neighborhoods a fashionable address long after the original families departed.[33] Lindsay Park, in The Village of East Davenport, was used as parade grounds for Civil War soldiers from Camp McClellan.[8]
In contrast to the east side, the central and west neighborhoods originally contained many of the working class Germans who settled the town. Development on the west side started in the 1850s with extensive construction occurring in the 1870s.[34] Housing was mostly one and a half to two story front gable American Foursquare and simplified Queen Anne style. The central Hamburg neighborhood contains the most architecturally significant residences in the old German neighborhoods.[35] Also in central Davenport, the Vander Veer Park Historic District is a neighborhood anchored by Vander Veer Park, a large park with a botanical garden and a fountain. The park was modeled after New York City's Central Park and originally shared its name.[36] Vander Veer is surrounded by large Queen Anne and Tudor Revival style houses that were built between 1895 and 1915. Development of the Vander Veer Park was one of the first major beautification efforts.[36]
Today the eastern side of Davenport still contains many of the higher class houses in the city. The old Civil War parade grounds, in The Village of East Davenport ("The Village" for short), have been turned into Lindsay Park, which is surrounded by small specialty shops. West of The Village, Downtown contains the two tallest buildings in the Quad Cities: the Wells Fargo Bank Building, which is 255 feet tall, and the Mid-American Energy Building, which is 220 feet tall.[37] Other tall buildings include the 11-story Blackhawk Hotel, the 150 foot Kahl Building and the Davenport City Hall.[38]
Davenport uses a mayor-council form of local government. City government consists of a mayor (as of 2012), Bill Gluba and a ten-person council. One person is elected from each of the eight wards and two at-large aldermen are elected to represent the whole city.[39] Nonpartisan elections are held in odd-numbered years. The mayor is top elected individual for the city. The mayor's duties include running city council meetings and approves or vetoes all actions taken by the council members, and can vote in case of a tie. He or she also appoints city board members.[40] The city council's job is to make laws and set the city budget.[41] The city administrator, currently Craig Malin, is appointed by the mayor with confirmation by two-thirds of the council. City-wide goals through 2012 include having a financially responsible government, having a growing economy, revitalizing neighborhoods, and upgrading city infrastructure and public facilities.[42] The establishment of Davenport as a political and government unit came in 1839, three years after the city was settled.[43] The city was incorporated as a result of a resolution by Iowa Representative Jonathan W. Parker by special charter in the Iowa Territory on January 25, 1839.[43] Parker was a resident of Davenport and one of six trustees elected to govern the city with Rodolphus Bennet being the first mayor. Activity for the first four months was minimal as the council failed to meet.[43] In 1842, the city charter was amended for the first time. Changes include having six alderman replace the five trustees, dividing the city into three wards, and appointing a city clerk position to replace the recorder.[43] The charter was amended again in 1851 to expand the city area, provide greater detail of the duties of the mayor, city council, and other officials.[43] During the last half of the 19th century, government assumed expanding responsibilities for public welfare and public works improvements.
The city expanded police protection, even temporarily having volunteer police officers to assist the three paid officers.[43] Fire protection was expanded in 1882, with the city's first 13 paid firefighters.[43] Former mayor Henry Vollmer accomplished several public works achievements, including large street paving and new sub-divisions being plotted.[43] A large city budget surplus brought the creation of the Davenport City Hall.[44] After 1900, each mayor brought new agendas for city improvement. Waldo Becker encouraged new railroads for the city. He also promised a more business-like government, in terms of financial responsibility and to depoliticize the police department. In the mid 1920s the city established the first zoning ordinances, electrical traffic signals and street lighting. They city also expanded with the incorporation of the city of Rockingham and the establishment of the Davenport Municipal Airport.[44]
The 2010 fiscal year budget is $199.2 million,[45] an increase of $35 million from 2009.[45] The city's general fund receives the largest amount of funds from property taxes, followed by service fees such as solid waste collection and swimming pool or golf course admission and 80% of its expenses go to personnel costs.[45] The city has given a few surveys for citizens to rate the quality of life and city services. The largest department in the city is the public works department with a budget of $36.7 million.[45] The police department is second with a budget of $22.4 million, while the fire department has a budget of $15 million.[45] The parks department has $6.1 million, and the Davenport Public Library has a $3.8 million budget.[45]
At the federal level, Davenport is in Iowa's 1st congressional district and as of 2011, is represented by Democrat Bruce Braley. The two Senators are Republican Chuck Grassley and Democrat Tom Harkin. At the state level, Davenport is represented by the forty-first, forty-second, and forty-third Iowa Senate districts and in the Iowa House of Representatives by the eighty-first, eighty-fourth, eighty-fifth, and eighty-sixth districts.
As of 2011, the forty-first senate district covers the eastern third of the city and all of Bettendorf, Riverdale, and Panorama Park. It is more conservative then other Davenport districts being represented by a Republican since the 1970s. The district is slightly moving more liberal with an increase of 3,000 Democrats between 2006 and 2010.[46] The district is represented by Republican Senator Roby Smith.[47] The forty-second district covers the western third of the city along with all of Scott County that is not in Davenport, Bettendorf, Riverdale, or Panorama Park as well as western and southern rural Clinton County and is represented by Republican Senator Shawn Hamerlinck.[48] The forty-third and final senate district covers the central third of the city and is represented by Democrat Joe Seng.[49]
The eighty-first house district covers the eastern third of the city along with small western portion of Bettendorf. The district shares the same western boundaries as the forty-first senate district. The district is represented by Democrat Phyllis Thede.[50] The eighty-fourth district covers the western third of the city, and has the same eastern boundary as Senate district forty-two and is represented by Republican Ross Paustian.[51] The eighty-fifth and eighty-sixth districts are made up of the same area as the forty-third senate district. The eighty-fifth district covers the north and west-central area while the eighty-sixth district covers southern and eastern part of the senate district.[52][53] Both are represented by Democrats with Jim Lykam representing the eighty-fifth and Cindy Winckler representing the eighty-sixth. Davenport has a Federal Court House for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 1,848 |
|
|
| 1860 | 11,267 | 509.7% | |
| 1870 | 20,038 | 77.8% | |
| 1880 | 21,831 | 8.9% | |
| 1890 | 26,872 | 23.1% | |
| 1900 | 35,254 | 31.2% | |
| 1910 | 43,028 | 22.1% | |
| 1920 | 56,727 | 31.8% | |
| 1930 | 60,751 | 7.1% | |
| 1940 | 66,039 | 8.7% | |
| 1950 | 74,549 | 12.9% | |
| 1960 | 88,981 | 19.4% | |
| 1970 | 98,469 | 10.7% | |
| 1980 | 103,264 | 4.9% | |
| 1990 | 95,333 | −7.7% | |
| 2000 | 98,359 | 3.2% | |
| 2010 | 99,685 | 1.3% | |
| [54] | |||
According to the 2010 United States Census estimate, the city population grew to 99,685 and the Quad Cities metropolitan area grew to 379,690.[55] As of the 2000 census, there were 98,359 people, 39,124 households, and 24,804 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,566.5 people per square mile (604.8/km²). There were 41,350 housing units at an average density of 658.5 per square mile (254.3/km²). Davenport's population density is 30 times the average density of Iowa and 20 times the average density of the United States.[56][57] However, it is about a third less than Des Moines and 20 percent less than Cedar Rapids, the only two cities in Iowa with higher populations than Davenport. Sioux City, the next city smaller than Davenport in population, has a density of 5 people more per square mile.[56][57]
The racial makeup of the city was 83.68% White, 9.24% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 2.00% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.32% from other races, and 2.36% from two or more races. 5.36% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.[58] There were 39,124 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. Of all households, 29.5% were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.03.[58]
The percent of all races, with the exception of white, are higher in Davenport, then Iowa averages, with the black population in Davenport four times the average of Iowa.[59] Contrary to Iowa, only whites have a higher percent in Davenport, than in the United States as a whole.[60] In the city the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males[58] All of which are within one percent of United States averages.[60]
Crime in Davenport is on the decline. Violent crimes, which include robbery, rape, and assault, have fallen from 1,274 in 2002 to 712 in 2009.[61][62] Murders were down from seven in 2002 to two in 2009.[61][62] Rape is also down from sixty-three in 2002 to forty-nine in 2009.[61][62]
Davenport's biggest labor industry is manufacturing, with over 7,600 jobs in the sector.[63] John Deere is the second largest employer in the Quad Cities, after the Rock Island Arsenal as a whole. Deere, however, is the largest single employer, employing 7,200 workers in the Quad Cities and 948 on its north side Davenport plant.[45][64] John Deere World Headquarters is located in Moline. Other large employers in Davenport and the Quad Cities include, Genesis Health System with 5,125 employees and 4,900 in Davenport, Trinity Regional Health System with 3,333, regional grocery store Hy-Vee with 3,138 and the Davenport Community School District with 2,237 employees.[64]
Davenport is the headquarters for department store Von Maur, which has 24 stores.[65] Davenport is also the headquarters of Lee Enterprises, which publishes fifty-five daily newspapers and more than 300 weekly newspapers, shoppers, and specialty publications, along with online sites in 23 states.[66] As of September 2009, the unemployment rate in Davenport and the rest of the Quad Cities, had risen to 8.4%.[67]
The median income for a household in the city is $40,378 with families earning $51,445.[68] Males had a median income of $41,853 versus $30,002 for females.[68] The per capita income for the city was $18,828. About 10.5% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.2% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those ages 65 or over.
Davenport has a lower cost of living than the national average, in 2010 the average home price was $110,000; Forbes ranked Davenport as the best metropolitan area for cost of living, up from second in 2009.[69][70] CNN Money ranked Davenport as the 16th most affordable housing in the country.[71]
The surrounding Quad Cities have a few major places of employment, including the Rock Island Arsenal, which is the largest government-owned weapons manufacturing arsenal in the United States.[72] KONE, Inc, a large manufacturer of elevators, is located in Moline, Illinois. Alcoa, a large aluminum manufacturer, is located in Riverdale, Iowa. Other local businesses include Whitey's Ice Cream, Hungry Hobo sandwich shop, and Happy Joe's and Harris Pizza – both local pizzerias (the former of which is also an ice cream parlor).
Downtown Davenport has many points of interest including the Davenport Public Library, the Davenport Skybridge, Figge Art Museum, River Music Experience, Putnam Museum and IMAX Theatre, the RiverCenter/Adler Theater, Modern Woodmen Park which is home of the Quad City River Bandits baseball team and the Centennial Bridge. Entertainment venues include the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Freight House (The Freight House).
Davenport's cultural and educational institutions include the Figge Art Museum, which houses The National Center for Midwest Art and Design, and was founded in 1925 as the Davenport Municipal Art Gallery.[74][75] The Putnam Museum and IMAX Theatre, which was founded in 1867 and was one of the first museums west of the Mississippi River.[76] The Quad City Symphony Orchestra, headquartered in downtown Davenport, was founded in 1915.[77] The Davenport Public Library was opened in 1839.[78] The German American Heritage Center is located at the foot of the Centennial Bridge.
Uptown features a few historic landmarks such as the Iowa Soldiers' Orphans' Home which took in homeless children from all of Iowa's ninety-nine counties following the Civl War[79] and Ambrose Hall which was the original building of St. Ambrose University.[80] Aside from landmarks, uptown contains some entertainment venues too, such as the Great Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, which hosts fairs, stock car racing, and many other events. NorthPark Mall is the city's main shopping mall and has 160 stores. Its companion, SouthPark Mall, is located in Moline. Brady Street Stadium is home to Davenport high school and Saint Ambrose University football games. Davenport has a number of parks, including Credit Island park which has a bike path, baseball diamonds, tennis courts, and fishing along the Mississippi River. Vander Veer Botanical Park has a small botanical garden and also features a walking path, a lagoon, and a large fountain.[81]
Bix Fest is a three-day music festival with many traditional jazz bands held in tribute to internationally renowned jazz cornetist, pianist, composer, and Davenport native Bix Beiderbecke. The festival was started in August 1971 and the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Society was founded one year later to organize and sponsor it.[82] 2009 was the 39th consecutive festival. In addition to the Bix Fest, the Wells Fargo Street Fest features live music, food, and vendors.
The annual Bix 7 is a 7-mile (11 km) road race held in late July in Davenport. The race was founded in 1975 by a resident of Bettendorf, Iowa, who wanted to bring to the Quad Cities some of the excitement he felt when he ran his first Boston Marathon.[83] The first race had 84 participants, but today 12,000 to 18,000 runners take part.[83][84][85] In late July or early August the six-day Great Mississippi Valley Fair features major grandstand concerts, carnival rides, attractions, and food vendors.[86] Sturgis on the River is a large annual gathering of motorcycles which includes bands and food vendors.[87] Another big festival that takes place in Davenport is The Great Mississippi Valley Fair. Others include Stirgus By The River, River Roots Live, Beaxu Arts Fair and many others.
Davenport has three sister cities.[88] Kaiserslautern, Germany, became a sister city on June 10, 1960.[88] The coastal city of Ilhéus in Bahia, Brazil, became Davenport's sister city on January 31, 2005.[88] Davenport and County Carlow, Ireland, became sister cities on September 26, 2006.[88]
Davenport and the Quad Cities are home to many sports teams. The Quad Cities River Bandits baseball team play games at Downtown Davenport's Modern Woodmen Park. The i wireless Center in Moline is home to the Quad City Mallards hockey team. The Quad Cities Riverhawks are a Premier Basketball League team. They play their home games at Wharton Field House on the old Marycrest International University campus. Davenport high schools are in the Mississippi Athletic Conference for sports.
Davenport has over forty parks or recreational trails.[89] Major parks include Credit Island, which is a 450-acre (1.8 km2) park in southwest Davenport located alongside the Mississippi River.[89] Fejervary Park contains a pool and children's zoo and has had approximately 20,000 visitors each year since 1996.[89] Junge Park is situated along the Duck Creek Parkway and includes baseball and softball fields, sand volleyball, and basketball courts.[89] LeClaire Park is located right on the banks of the Mississippi River next to Modern Woodmen Park. LeClaire Park hosts many summer events including River Roots Live and Ribfest.[90] Bands for the Bix Fest play in the park each July. Vander Veer Botanical Park welcomes approximately 25,000 visitors to continuous floral shows.[89]
The city features two recreational trails for biking or walking. Duck Creek Parkway extends from Emeis Park in west Davenport 8.26 miles (13.29 km) east to Bettendorf along Duck Creek. Riverfront Parkway extends 4.75 miles (7.64 km) along the Mississippi waterfront from Credit Island to Bettendorf. Both these trails continue into Bettendorf.[89] Plans are being discussed to connect the two trails in Riverdale.[91] Three public golf courses are offered in the city.[92] For river-related activities, The Channel Cat boat offers rides across the river and has two stops in Iowa and three stops in Illinois and connects the bike paths that each state has on its river front.[93]
There are two major daily newspapers in Davenport. The Quad-City Times is based out of Davenport and The Dispatch/Rock Island Argus is based out of Moline. An alternative free newspaper, the River Cities Reader, is published in Davenport. All four major television networks have stations in the area, including KWQC (NBC) and KLJB (Fox) in Davenport. WHBF (CBS) is located in Rock Island and WQAD (ABC) is in Moline.
The Quad Cities ranks as the 97th largest market for television[94] and the 147th largest market for radio.[95] Radio station WOC made its local broadcasting debut on February 18, 1922. It was the second licensed station on the air.[96] In 1933 WOC hired future president Ronald Reagan as a staff announcer.[96]
Davenport public schools serve nearly 17,000 students in the communities of Davenport, Blue Grass, Buffalo, and Walcott. The Davenport Community School District is the second largest school district in Iowa.[97] Davenport has three public high schools: Central, West, and North and one private high school: Assumption. There are six public intermediate schools and 23 public elementary schools.[98] One of the intermediate schools, Sudlow was named after Phebe Sudlow, the first female public school superintendent in the United States.[99] She was superintendent for Davenport schools from 1874–1878.[99] The high schools are part of the Mississippi Athletic Conference for sports. The city has four colleges and universities: Palmer Chiropractic College, which is the first chiropractic school and the location of the first chiropractic adjustment in the world,[100][101][102] Saint Ambrose University, Kaplan University, and Hamilton Technical College. Marycrest International University was a university in Davenport from 1939 to 2002, when it closed and became senior citizen housing.[103]
Three interstate highways serve Davenport: Interstate 80, Interstate 280, and Interstate 74. Interstate 88 serves the Illinois Quad Cities and runs east to Chicago. U.S. Route 6, U.S. Route 61, and U.S. Route 67 also go through Davenport; U.S. 67 crosses over to Illinois via the Rock Island Centennial Bridge. Davenport is connected to the Illinois side of the Quad Cities by a total of three bridges across the Mississippi River. The Government Bridge and the Centennial Bridge connect Downtown Davenport with the Rock Island Arsenal and downtown Rock Island, respectively. The I-280 Bridge connects the western edge of Davenport with the western edge of Rock Island.
Other highways include Iowa Highway 22, which is on the city's southwest side, and Iowa Highway 130, which runs along Northwest Boulevard on Davenport's north edge. For air travel, Davenport Municipal Airport – located adjacent to the city's northern city limits – serves smaller aircraft, and is the home of the annual Quad City Airshow. The Quad City International Airport across the river in Moline, Illinois, is the closest commercial airport. Major railroads include the Iowa Interstate Railroad and the Iowa, Chicago and Eastern. Two national U.S. recreation trails intersect in Davenport: the Mississippi River Trail and the American Discovery Trail.
Amtrak currently does not serve Davenport or the Quad Cities. The closest station is about 50 miles (80 km) away in Galesburg, Illinois. In 2008, the two current United States Senators from Iowa, Tom Harkin and Chuck Grassley, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, and former Senator Barack Obama sent a letter to Amtrak asking them to begin plans to bring rail service to the Quad Cities.[104] In October 2010, a $230 million federal fund was announced that will bring Amtrak service to the Quad Cities, with a new line running from Moline to Chicago. They hope to have the lined completed in 2015, and offer two round trips daily to Chicago.[105] Greyhound Lines/Burlington Trailways bus service has a station in Davenport. The building is shared with the local Davenport Citibus.[106] Davenport does not have any river ports.
Davenport has an infamous "truck-eating bridge".[107] The bridge, or rather three bridges, is a set of railroad bridges that cross over north and southbound U.S. Route 61 and another street. Every year an average of 12 semi trucks hit the bridge, usually causing massive damage to the trucks.[107] The bridges, made out of iron, steel, and concrete, are rarely damaged.[107]
Public transit appeared in Davenport in 1969 when the city created a City Transit Authority.[106] The authority at first provided monetary support to Davenport City Lines Bus Company, which was a privately owned company. After a few years the city purchased the Davenport City Lines and placed the operation of public transportation under the jurisdiction of the City's Department of Municipal Transportation. Today, CitiBus is a division of the Department of Public Works. CitiBus has a total of 20 vehicles and covers approximately 30 square miles (78 km2) of the city. CitiBus connects with both Bettendorf Transit and the Illinois Quad Cities mass transit system, MetroLINK.[106] In 2007 Citibus saw a ridership of 1,022,815 customers. Ridership as of September 2008 had grown to 1,045,000 due in part to high gas prices.[108]
Electricity to Davenport, and the rest of the Iowa Quad Cities, is provided by MidAmerican Energy Company. Water is provided by the Mississippi River and is treated by the Iowa American Water Company. The water treatment facility is located in southeast Davenport.
Davenport is served by two hospitals: Genesis Medical Center East – Rusholme Street and Genesis Medical Center – West Central Park Avenue part of the Genesis Health System. Together the facilities, along with two other facilities outside Davenport have 665 beds.[109] The hospitals employ more than 600 physicians and 5,000 staff members.[109] The American Nurses Credentialing Center, awarded Genesis Medical Center the Magnet designation for excellence in nursing services.[110] Fewer than three percent of hospitals receive this honor.[110]
Notable Davenporters include jazz musician Bix Beiderbecke, after whom the Bix 7 road race and jazz festival are named.[111] The artist Isabel Bloom was raised in Davenport; she is the creator of decorative concrete figurines that bear her name.[112][113] Sports figures born in Davenport include NFL running back Roger Craig and former middleweight boxing champion Michael Nunn.[114][115] Other natives include the aviation pioneer Samuel Cody, actors Stuart Margolin, Lara Flynn Boyle, and Linnea Quigley. Otto Frederick Rohwedder, the inventor of mass-produced sliced bread, grew up in Davenport.[116][117][118][119]
Davenport (along with neighboring Rock Island, Illinois), won the 2007 City Livability Award in the small-city category from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Tom Cochran, Executive Director of the Conference, stated that the award "gives the Conference a chance to highlight mayoral leadership in making urban areas safer, cleaner and more livable."[120] The award acknowledges achievements from the RiverVision plan of Davenport and Rock Island.[121]
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