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My wife and children are possibly relocating to the Quad-cities and, like others in the same boat, I wonder about life there. Err well honestly life in the North as compared to the South actually. We are moving from Vicksburg, MS however this "place" is not our home. I hail from southern Arkansas, the wife.. well she's from a little bit of everywhere.
I know full well that living there versus here will be as different as night and day. See I know what I do not like about growing up and living in the South and I use that knowledge to fuel the fire that powers a (scary) relocation such as this. And by scary I mean WOW.. it's 800 miles away, and it took me 12.5 hours to drive it two weeks ago. But education is generally better in the north versus the south.. the summer climate is much better there versus here.. and I could go on for days as to the reasons why I think the North is better.
Then my thoughts turn to schools and housing areas: safe, affordable, visually appealing. I tasked the wife with researching that portion and I believe her findings centered on Bettendorf, which from the pictures I've seen and the data I've read looks to be a damn nice place. Especially with the housing slump, the price per bang ratio is good right now. But initially we would be looking at apartments or what I'd personally love.. a loft.
I've spewed randomly here in this post.. but I'd love to here some opinions from others that have made such a huge move as this will be, others who have moved from the south to the north and their experiences or thoughts on the process.
My wife and children are possibly relocating to the Quad-cities and, like others in the same boat, I wonder about life there. Err well honestly life in the North as compared to the South actually. We are moving from Vicksburg, MS however this "place" is not our home. I hail from southern Arkansas, the wife.. well she's from a little bit of everywhere.
I know full well that living there versus here will be as different as night and day. See I know what I do not like about growing up and living in the South and I use that knowledge to fuel the fire that powers a (scary) relocation such as this. And by scary I mean WOW.. it's 800 miles away, and it took me 12.5 hours to drive it two weeks ago. But education is generally better in the north versus the south.. the summer climate is much better there versus here.. and I could go on for days as to the reasons why I think the North is better.
Then my thoughts turn to schools and housing areas: safe, affordable, visually appealing. I tasked the wife with researching that portion and I believe her findings centered on Bettendorf, which from the pictures I've seen and the data I've read looks to be a damn nice place. Especially with the housing slump, the price per bang ratio is good right now. But initially we would be looking at apartments or what I'd personally love.. a loft.
I've spewed randomly here in this post.. but I'd love to here some opinions from others that have made such a huge move as this will be, others who have moved from the south to the north and their experiences or thoughts on the process.
We lived for ten years in the QC and loved it. It is a blue collar town, but was a nice place to live.
Neighborhoods-
a. if you like old neighborhoods, McClellan Heights is a very nice and is beautiful near the river. The area down river from Jersey Ridge in "the Gold Coast" is a little dicey for neighborhoods. Rock Island has older homes, but the neighborhoods are dicey.
b. newer neighborhoods would be in Bettendorf or Pleasant Valley. Nicer new homes in all price ranges.
Housing-
Housing is cheap in the QC relative to other towns in Iowa. One just needs to make sure that there is no leaking basements in the flat areas.
Schools-
Bettendorf and PV are well recieved. Our kids went to the Catholic schools and we were pleased. Assumption High is probably a little weak academically. Central High, while "inner city", has a very diverse crowd, good academics and is safe.
I think I can relate a bit. I am from this area, but we just moved back up here from living in Houston. My wife grew up in Louisiana. I have also lived in Georgia and other parts of Texas.
You sound like you are using your head as far as researching the different areas. Most people moving in to the area at this time appear to be opting for Iowa vs Illinois, I think mostly because of IL state budget problems and the possibility of significant tax hikes over there in the near future.
I would also suggest looking at some of the outlying towns if you don't mind living a few minutes away from the city proper. LeClaire is an up and coming area along the river, in the Pleasant Valley school district (pretty sure). Princeton is a little further up the same river road. Eldridge is a nice, fairly small town just north of Davenport. That would be the North Scott school district, which is pretty good too. Some people commute from DeWitt or Durant or some other towns, but for me this is just a little too far away.
You are not going get lower interest rates in the future mortgage-wise, and house prices are cheap as hell. I would suggest buying now, if you ever plan on buying. Just my 2 cents.
Crime is a non issue for the most part, except in very small areas. You will know if you are in these areas . Nothing like Houston or most big cities, that much is sure.
Traffic? Hahaha. No.
Oh yeah, and you can go outside in the middle of summer without getting heatstroke within 5 min.
My personal favorite reason for not living in the south.... NO FIRE ANTS. I hate those effing things. Up here, you can go lay down and take a nap in your backyard lawn and have no worries of dying a most painful death. Er, at least getting stung.
The only thing that sucks, especially being from a place as naturally awesome and "outdoorsy" as Arkansas, is that the area is somewhat deficient in natural beauty and all that. A LOT of fields. And more fields.
Let me know if you want any other information about whatever.
Illinois and Iowa are top two Agriculature states in America. We produce more corn and beans than any other state. So instead of cotton and tobacco fields you will drive through miles and boring miles of corn and soy bean fields. The Quad Cities are actually two cities in Illinois and two in Iowa The common border between Illinois and Iowa is the Mississippi River.
Where you live depends upon where you work and how far you want to drive to work.
Right now in Illinois it is very difficult to find a job without a degree and experience in a growing field such as medical, or as an experienced, highly skilled worker in one of the trades.
I am familar with Arkansas; it is a beautiful state. I am also familiar with where you live as I was there for a weekend. IL is a no-smoking state. no cell phones in construction area, or in school zones between 7am and 4pm every day that school is in session and Scott's Law - which applies to not passing in the lane next to a stopped emergency vehicle. And do not speed in construction zones. These are all expensive violations!!!
More importantly IL is a NO concealed carry state and if you are going to ransport any type of weapon into Illinois, there are special rules you must follow. If you do not follow the roles, and get stopped, ignorance is no excuse. Your weapon(s) will be confiscated and you will be fined, too. Please know the rules if you bring weapons. We don't care if you hunt, we care that each component is properly secured for transport. The exception is the LEO; the rules are differnt for you.
Realistically if you live in a river city you will never be completely surrounded by farms and ranches; many river cities in Illinois are amongst rolling rills, high bluffs, and forested areas. Realistically inland farm communities in Illinois tend to be more financially conservative with less religious diversity. A critically ill child in Illinois is most likely will got to Children's at Chicago or Barnes-Jewish in St. Louis as it is one of only two tope 25 ranked hospitals in the US; the other is Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Tornadoes are an issue as they form in corn and bean fields Where ever you live research your area and do not live in the path of a previous tornado. I have NOAA maps for central southestern Illinois which covers all the major areas south of Chicago. The Illinois River is the longest, largest river in Illinois. The two town on the Illinois side of the Quad Cities are Rock Island and Moline.
But Bettendorf on the Iowa side is a better place to raise kids overall. Davenport is the largest of the Quad Cities. Iowa City is the large medical community with a VA hospital and some amazing services.
I would not state as fact that one state has cheaper taxes than the other. Nor would I state that crime is less in one state than the other. These are both Ag states with a ton bunch of little towns and a few larger towns spread out across the states. It couls be better, but on the other hand compared to some of the other places I have lived, it could be a whole lot worse. The bottome line is that either state is a decent place to raise a family.
By the way, if you have not done this, the next time you drive up, you may be able to cut off a few miles and save some time and gas by doing this. Follow I-55 to Springfield, Illinois and pick up IL Route 29 North to Pekin (you will drive through Springfield and Pekin. Follow IL 29 through Pekin to 474 West to Peoria/Galesburg where it joins I-74 West . Follow I-74 to the Quad Cities at I-80. The distance between IL 29 and I-74 at Blomington is about 60 miles + 40 additional miles into to Peoria. The 100 miles on IL29 will put you about 50 miles from the Quad Cities. Plus it is a slower paced pleasant drive where you can stop and eat and exercise a bit. .
My favorite thing about growing up in the QCA was it's proximity to Iowa City, Des Moines, Chicago, Madison, Milwaukee, Kansas City and Omaha. Been to countless ball games and concerts in all those cities.
I grew up in the QC area my whole life, but have to most experience with the small towns and communities to the south of Milan in IL. Great rural communities, nice people, great schools, but it's a drive to go anywhere.
we currently live on the northside of Davenport. Before we moved here people told us it was a sketchy neighborhood, but we've had no problems whatsoever. Honestly, even the "bad" parts of the QC are not that bad. There are a few places in Davenport and Rock Island that are sort of bad, but even the bad "neighborhoods" only span a few blocks.
Traffic in Davenport can get a little clogged, especially on Kimberly, Elmore, and 53rd. I work near the intersection of Elmore and 53rd and have waited through several stop lights to simply turn left onto Elmore. But this doesn't compare to traffic in a bigger city, and usually is caused by some sort of accident or construction.
I have friends that live in Le Claire, IA and I love that town. super cute downtown area, and a couple of really good restaurants.
I think you're on the right track as far as moving to Bettendorf. Its a nice town with good schools and virtually no crime. I dont know that I agree with the previous comment of no crime in the Quad Cities to speak of. Rock Island and Davenport both have areas that arent suitable for people who arent criminals but compared to bigger cities, it's not too bad.
We relocated to Georgia for a short period of time before moving back here. There were numerous things that we didnt like about the south with a few things that I do miss a bit. I firmly feel that people are generally friendlier in the south. Or at least in Georgia. I felt a bigger sense of community/family values there.
However the fire ants were for the birds and you can only be called a yankee so many times!
Good luck. Bettendorf is a nice area
I grew up on the Illinois side of the QC but lived the last 15 years in Bettendorf before moving to Huntsville, AL. I loved Bettendorf although it can be a bit pretentious, I still loved the area. It is the best place to raise a family and retire for that matter. It's just a very nice, clean area. I really miss it. I also lived way north on the border of the upper peninsula of Michigan and Wisconsin. So, having lived way north, in the middle and way south, I have to say that people are pretty much people. I can say that I found people in the Quad Cities to be very helpful. They will go out of their way to help you out if you need it. I think they are more friendly there than when I lived up north and where I am now and I really miss that. But as I said, people are pretty much people and even in areas where it seems hard to get to know someone, if you give it enough time, things work out eventually. You carve your little niche and it becomes home.
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. Nothing like Houston or most big cities, that much is sure.
