Quad Cities: Is it just me? (Moline, Rock Island: high school, college, gated)

[TootsieWootsie]

I've been gone for over 40 years and have been back for a mere 6, but I still feel as if the individual cities are entities on their own and the folks from Moline, say, don't mingle all that much with the folks from Davenport (make any combination of the cities here you want). Is this true or is it just the people I know?
Since I don't seem to find many folks with friends outside their own town, what gives with this? Since the area is basically all one, why isn't there more interaction from those from other cities in the QCA?

[QuadCityImages]

I know that its not true of everyone, but now that I think of it, I don't really have many friends or any relatives that live on the Illinois side. Quite a few coworkers though. Maybe people like to live near people they know?

[steve_holt]

Be careful! This is an Illinois forum. You shouldn't talk about Davenport and Moline in the same post.

[linicx]

Believe me, all river cities laid out like QC, where a river seperates two states - have the same problem. East St. Louis does too. There is one dominant city. Folks from the nearby cities work in the dominant city, shop in the dominant city, TV stations promote the dominant city. Local store owners quickly learn it is a waste of advertising dollars to promote their business in the other state. Tourism, auctions and garage sales, and big ticket venues seem to be the only advertising exceptions.

It is not unusual to find different cultures, different political views, and many dissimilarities or disparities bewteen states. And unless one state has something very popular the other state doesn't have, folks stay home. The same type of "ny dog is better than your dog" rivalry carries into high school and college football games, etc.. I don't think it is quite as evident in competing cities in the same state, or in areas where diversity is well established. Nevertheless, when it comes to church, family, friends, schools, reunions and family cemeteries folks tend to stay 'on their own side of the street', so to speak.

All states that fall under the category of grain-livestock producers look alike. These states have pockets of heavily populated areas that are miles apart, that are separated from each other by water, farms and/or ranches, and areas that cannot be used to produce food.

The same issues always arise is public arenas when cities in competing states are compared to each other. The discussions almost always dissolve into rancorous debates based on nothing more than a NAME used by the US Bureau of Statistics to identify and define a pocket or population for use by other federal agencies. Borders do not change. Residents do not change their lives because a "bean counter" in Washington, DC declares seven Illinois counties to be in the St. Louis MSA.

It is only in the minds of these debate participants, that St. Louis must therefore be the second city in Illinois. The Governor of Illinois does not think the St. Louis MSA qualifies St. Louis to be the atates second largest city of Illinois any more than he thinks QC MSA qualifies it to be the third, as both of these areas include two states.

[QuadCityImages]

There is no dominant city or state in the Quad Cities. The population is pretty evenly divided on both sides of the river. Davenport has the art and science museums, Moline has the arena and the airport, Rock Island has the arts and entertainment district, etc. Its basically one big city, and there were event attempts in the 1980's to merge the QC into one municipality. Unfortunately, because of people like Linicx, we're relegated to limbo or 2nd class citizens because both states look at us as being half of what we are.

[linicx]

QuadCityImages:

Davenport, the third largest city in Iowa, has a population of just shy of 100k; I think thats pretty dominant when Bettendorf is 1/3 its size. Rock Island, East Moline and Moline are each less than 1/2 the size of Davenport.

The complexities of physically tearing apart the governments of four cities to create one new mega-city, and then deciding which state wins the prize, is mind boggling. The residents who vote for it are generally not directly involved in the decision making, planning or paperwork. It ain't gonna happen in my lifetime nor in the lifetime of the OP. Moline, East Moline, Rock Island and John Deere will remain in Illinois, happily or not, just as Davenport and Bettendorf will remain in the #1 corn producing state of Iowa, unhappily or not.

Don't assume facts not in evidence. Linicx was far, far away from QC when "busybodies" tried to lump five cities in two states into one ball of wax. Linicx has great interest in all of Illinois, and zero interest in Iowa. I leave her to Tom Harkin. I do not live there and I rarely post in Iowa forums. .

http://www.cityofdavenportiowa.com/
http://www.bettendorf.org/
http://www.moline.il.us/
http://www.rigov.org/aboutrockisland...ockisland.html

[TabulaRasa]

We have the same issue in Kansas City and its suburbs on either side of the state line, and we're NOT seperated by the river. There's just a big culture clash between the Missouri city itself and the Kansas suburbs, and the Missouri suburbs and the Kansas Suburbs.

[FrankieFranks]

I grew up in the Quad Cities, lived there until I moved at age of 21. So speaking from first-hand experience, I can say this city to city difference is simply derived from loyalty. Most Quad-Citians are born and raised in one city despite the array of cities surrounding them. I remember one inncident that helps explain...I went to Moline High school. One day it was unseasonably (even for the midwest) chilly and I needed a light coat for the walk to the bus stop. The only one I had was my moms old Rock Island windbreaker she had gotten some time ago. It was bright red and said "Rock Island" in yellow letters on the back. Once I got to school and started walking the halls to my class, the people walking around me were looking at my jacket and giving me dirty looks! A few even made some nasty comments! Once I realized what was going on I took off the jacket, but was still utterly suprised that Moline students were so loyal to their school that even the smallest inclination that a disloyal student was walking among them would set them off!
So, I'm sure there are other factors that comtribute to the city to city seperation, but from my experience Loyalty seems to be a big one.

[Chicago60614]

I think some of it is that there are really only 3 bridges linking the city that most residents would use. of course 80 and 280 bridges are easy, but you kinda have to go out of town on whatever side you're on, then cross on the interstate, and then come back into town on the other side of the river. It's not easy for most people to just come and go between say Moline and Davenport.

People always hated dealing with the 74 bridge, and the other two bridges (almost right next to each other) pretty much make you go to downtown Davenport, and then cross to downtown Rock Island. Most residential areas are away from the riverfront.

I think there's something to say that for most quick trips or shopping/errands, it can be slightly annoying to cross to the "other side".

[linicx]

I live in an area with seven bridges and they are all annoying. But, they do a good job of managing traffic as only two actually exit near any down town area.