|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Davenport often makes national headlines when the Mississippi River floods. It is the only city over 20,000 people bordering the Mississippi that has no permanent floodwall or levee. 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, feasibility studies done by the United States Army Corps of Engineers have determined that building a floodwall along Davenport's riverfront is not feasible. Two examples of buildings that are elevated or floodproofed in Davenport are John O'Donnell Stadium and the Figge Art Museum. Several well-known annual festivals take place in Davenport. Notable festivals are the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, The Mississippi Valley Fair, and the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival, dedicated to Davenport native Bix Beiderbecke. An internationally known seven-mile foot race called the Bix 7 is run during the festival. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport is based in Davenport. This diocese covers the southeast quarter of the state of Iowa. The current Bishop of the Diocese is Bishop Martin John Amos. Bishop Emeritus is William Edwin Franklin. The Cathedral parish for this Diocese is Sacred Heart Cathedral. St. Ambrose University, established in 1882, is affiliated with the diocese. The current president is Dr. Edward Rogalski.
History
The first railroad bridge built across the Mississippi River connected Davenport and Rock Island, IL in 1856, built by the Rock Island Railroad. 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. A few decades earlier, Keokuk and General Winfield Scott signed a treaty to end the Black Hawk War in 1832 on the same spot the railroad bridge would later be built. The treaty resulted in the United States gaining 6 million acres (24,000 km²) of land. The first female mayor in the state of Iowa, Kathryn Kirschbaum, was elected in Davenport in 1972. In 1872, Phebe Sudlow was appointed principal of Davenport High School. She was the first female Principal in the United States. On June 19, 1874, Phebe Sudlow was then unanimously voted to the position of Superintendent of Davenport Schools. She was also the first woman in United States history to be a public school Superintendent. On November 29, 1986, actor Cary Grant suffered a major stroke while performing at Davenport's Adler Theater. He died at 11:22 p.m. while admitted to St. Luke's Hospital (now the east campus of Genesis Hospital). Davenport made national headlines on August 4, 2004, when both of the main candidates in the 2004 Presidential election held events there. Both John Kerry and George W. Bush made appearances, and the events for both men were only a few city blocks away from each other. GeographyDavenport is located at (41.542982, -90.590745)GR1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 168.2 km² (64.9 mi²). 162.6 km² (62.8 mi²) of it is land and 5.6 km² (2.2 mi²) of it (3.31%) is water. Davenport has 27 parks with a total of 2,200 acres (8.9 km²) of land. While situated squarely in the path of 'Tornado Alley' Davenport is believed to be protected by a blessing going back to the days when the indigenous population (Sauk and Fox tribes) lived in nearby Saukenuk. Only one tornado has touched down within city limits. It happened on July 20, 1854 and killed one person. The influence of the native Sauk and Fox tribes in the Upper Mississippi region, led British emigree George Davenport, in 1805, to establish a home and trading post on Rock Island (Now the US Army Rock Island Arsenal). The Davenport trading post attracted many entrepreneurs, including part-Native American Antoine Le Claire, who founded a settlement at the bluffs across from "Colonel" Davenport's Trading Post. From a small village of traders, the town became known for transporting cargo up the famous Rock Island Rapids, and became a rough and tumble European community, with heavy German and Flemish settlement late in the 19th Century. Davenport was located on the longest stretch of the Mississippi river with rapids. At this point, the river also runs east to west. Anyone who has grown up elsewhere along the river is mildly surprised to see the sun rise and set along its path. Part of the native blessing of the Sauk and Fox is that when the "Father of Waters," the spirit of the Mississippi, flowed south between this portion of Iowa and Illinois, he turned to look with wonder at the great beauty of the valley. Thus, the "nose" of the map of Iowa was created, with Davenport its leading town. Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 98,359 people, 39,124 households, and 24,804 families residing in the city. The population density was 604.8/km² (1,566.5/mi²). There were 41,350 housing units at an average density of 254.3/km² (658.5/mi²). 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 were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 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. 29.5% of all households 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. 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. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $37,242, and the median income for a family was $45,944. Males had a median income of $34,153 versus $24,634 for females. 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 age 65 or over. TransportationThree interstate highways serve Davenport: Interstate 80, Interstate 280 and Interstate 74. U.S. Highway 61, U.S. Highway 6 and U.S. Highway 67 also go through Davenport; U.S. 67 crosses over to Illinois via the Centennial Bridge. Davenport is connected to the Illinois side of the Quad Cities by a total of four bridges across the Mississippi River. Other highways include Iowa Highway 22 (on the city's southwest side) and Iowa Highway 130, 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, while 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 & Eastern. Two national U.S. recreation trails intersect in Davenport: the Mississippi River Trail and the American Discovery Trail. Law and governmentDavenport currently uses the mayor-council form of local government consisting of a mayor and a ten-person council, all duly elected officials. Elections are non-partisan. A list of mayors of Davenport has been compiled, spanning the period 1839 to the present. Events and FestivalsBix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival - a 3 day music festival with many traditional jazz bands held in tribute to internationally renowned jazz cornetist, pianist, composer and Davenport native Bix Beiderbecke. Organized and produced by the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Society, 2006 saw it's 34th consecutive festival. Sturgis on the River - annual motorcycle festival Mississippi Valley Blues Festival River Roots Live This year River Roots Live will be September 22-23, 2006 featuring: The Black Crows, Susan Tedeschi, Martin Sexton, Bo Ramsey and many more. FH Notable people
Points of interestImage:Bridge and Ducks.jpg Centennial Bridge over the Mississippi River in Davenport
Joseph Lane, an Attorny and co-founder of Lane and Waterman, still a thriving and prestigious law firm in Davenport, was also an entrepreneur. He chose to build his home at the summit of Mt Ida just west of the Village of East Davenport and Camp McClellen. Construction began shortly after the Civil War. Kay and Robert Kirk are the current owners of the Joe Lane house at the crest of Mt Ida.
Partner CitiesReferences
|
Sites |
Searched sites for "Davenport, Iowa" |
|
No sites found. |
Sorry, no matching site records were found. |
Want your site listed here?
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
