Clinton or Quad Cities (Davenport, Bettendorf: home, to buy, school rankings)

[LibertyDeath]

I am looking at the high possibility of getting a job in the Clinton, IA Fulton, IL area on the IL side. I am currently looking at the Clinton, IA or Quad Cities. I am coming from the Inland Empire area of Southern California so even with a small decrease in pay it is a huge raise when the cost of living is taken into consideration. The primary reason for the QC is specifically the Bettendorf schools so that is where I would ideally or someplace close enough to take them there. I don't intend on putting roots down there and looking more like about 3 or 4 years at most. I came to CA from a po-dunk town in Western WA so I am okay with a smaller town like Clinton if there is at least more than one store to buy stuff from.

I understand the commute down to the QC is about an hour, is that significantly increased in the winter or does the DOT actually have thier stuff together?

Is Clinton as bad as some people say as far as full of tweekers and run down?

What are pros and cons of Clinton?

What are the pros and cons of Bettendorf?

What are the pros and cons of the QC as a whole?

Is it worth the commute to the QC even in the winter rather than living in Clinton or would it be better to drive down to the QC for entertainment, shopping, etc?

Who supplies power, natural gas, trash and water?

Who supplies cable, phone, internet, etc.

Does Verizon have 4G service in the area?

When was the last time the area saw major flooding, was the area flooding back in 1993?

[QuadCityImages]

Originally Posted by LibertyDeath

Questions...

I understand the commute down to the QC is about an hour, is that significantly increased in the winter or does the DOT actually have thier stuff together?
Depending on where you'd end up in Bettendorf, or how fast you drive, it' s normally more like 45 minutes. In the Winter it will vary. In full on winter storms, it could easily take 90 minutes to safely make the commute.

Is Clinton as bad as some people say as far as full of tweekers and run down? It's surely not as bad as some people say, but it is probably more economically distressed than the QC. Clinton's only Target was recently announced to be closing, for example.

What are pros and cons of Clinton?
The only real reason to live in Clinton vs the QC is because your job is there. Clinton has some neat stuff, like single A baseball and Eagle Point Park, but generally the QC has better stuff. That said, it wouldn't be worth 9 hours a week in the car to me at least.

What are the pros and cons of Bettendorf?
Bettendorf is the lower-crime, higher income, white flight community of the core Quad Cities. People seem to rave about the schools, but I think its mostly hype. I'd much rather my kids go to school with a cross section of society rather than a student body that's 95% upper middle class white kids.

What are the pros and cons of the QC as a whole?
I think its a great mid-sized area, despite what a couple posters on these forums love to spout. We have a lot of amenities that cities larger than us would love to have. During warm months, there is some sort of decent-sized festival or cultural event literally every weekend, sometimes more than one. There are plenty of good places to eat, and even though we are somewhat under-retailed, there is certainly a much greater selection than Clinton. There are a ton of amazing parks spread around the QC as well. Check out this thread for some images from around the area.

Is it worth the commute to the QC even in the winter rather than living in Clinton or would it be better to drive down to the QC for entertainment, shopping, etc?
I think you'd be better off living closer to Clinton and coming down to the QC for more retail/dining/entertainment opportunities. If you go out as many days a week as you go to work, that wouldn't hold as true though.

Who supplies power, natural gas, trash and water?
In the Iowa QC, gas and electric are from MidAmerican Energy. Trash and recycling are done by the cities, and water is supplied by a regulated corporation called Iowa American Water.

Who supplies cable, phone, internet, etc.
In the QC your choices for phone/cable/internet are Mediacom for cable, or CenturyLink for DSL. I'm not sure in Clinton, but I would imagine its the same.

Does Verizon have 4G service in the area?
Verizon has LTE practically everywhere. Both Clinton and Moline (I guess the whole QC?) are listed as having XLTE as well. My phone doesn't support that, so I'm not sure how well it works.

When was the last time the area saw major flooding, was the area flooding back in 1993?
Unless you live within sight of the Mississippi, which less than 1% of people in either Clinton or the QC do, the flooding doesn't really affect you. The river runs through a valley, and if the water gets to the top of that hill, which is where most people live, start building an ark.

[Dport7674]

I wouldn't want to make that drive everyday.

Clinton has that rust belt/industrial town look, but I'm sure there's a 'nice part of town'.

(My only experience with Clinton is following my nephews high school football team up there.)

[atler8]

Ditto to the above as regards driving round trip between your job location in Fulton & a Bettendorf or other QC location. Time spent on the road commuting is time taken away from home life, etc.
Clinton is a rust belt river city but has some beautiful residential areas nestled into the bluffs.
The city park system & rec areas along the river there are a nice amenity too.
Given that you were thinking in terms of driving round trip so as to get into the Bettendorf School District, I'd suggest that you resarch the Clinton School District.
An alternative to either would be the Pleasant Valley School District which lies north of Bettendorf.

[capitalcityguy]

Although I'm not as familar with that part of Iowa as others on this thread, I will chime in and agree that purposely creating that long of a commute when you don't need to, seems very shortsighted. Life is too short and you miss too much by spending that much time on the road.

[ElleTea]

And it can't be stressed enough how quickly the roads can deteriorate during a snowstorm/ice storm/blizzard when you are driving in rural areas.

[one is lonely]

If you're really worried about school rankings, I'd consider the Le Claire area. It has a better downtown than Bettendorf, and the school district is highly regarded. You'd be a half-hour from Clinton and practically in the QCs.

[one is lonely]

Also, I wouldn't put much thought about the utilities in Iowa. It's an affordable state. You may not have as many choices for internet service as you'd like, but what are you gonna do?

[Dport7674]

LeClaire's is a good suggestion. Nice lil town right outside the QCA.

(I'm somewhat sure they're part of the PV school district..And while it's quaint and picturesque, calling that a downtown is a bit of a stretch. One block of antique shops and a few restaurants..You're driving to Davenport to do any real shopping.)

[one is lonely]

You're not doing that shopping in Downtown Davenport though, are you? Nowadays, unless you live in a really big city, you go downtown for food, coffee, and drinks (and maybe shop at a few random upscale specialty shops), and you do your real shopping in the big suburban strips. I'd say that LeClaire provides a higher quality "downtown" experience than Bettendorf, unless you really love casinos. There are some nice restaurants in town. I'm not saying it's anything amazing, but I'd highly encourage the OP to check it out given his/her situation. It's part of the Pleasant Valley school district and closer to Clinton than Bettendorf.

Of course, if it was me, I'd just live in Clinton. But I know some people really worry about school district ratings.