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GeographyLocated three hours 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. As of the 2000 Census, the area has a population of 376,019; the population of the area was estimated at 376,309 in 2005. [1] 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 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. HistoryEarly historyThe 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 sporadicaly 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-currentIn 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 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
Companies
Colleges
MediaFM Radio
AM Radio
Analog Television(Nielsen DMA #96)
Cable television service is provided by Mediacom..
Film
Music EnsemblesRoads
Sports teamsThe 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 sports today include:
Additionally, the MARK occasionally hosts NCAA Division I college basketball conference tournaments as well as NBA and NHL exhibitions.
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