Considering relocating to Quad-cities (Des Moines, Davenport: 2014, credit, neighborhoods)

[0Cosmopolitan9]

Hello everyone!

We are considering relocating from Chicago to Quad-cities in a couple of months, and I am not convinced yet. I have lived in the Chicago area for over 12 years now. I don't have any job lined up, but I will be looking for one after moving there.

I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on where to live in the Quad-cities. I'm wondering about the area. Is living in the Quad-cities comparable to Minneapolis, since I have been to Minneapolis several times.

Thanks in advance for any insight!

[Meemur]

I strongly recommend that you get a job before you move there.

While the economy is getting better even high-demand jobs, like nursing, may take some time to secure: the need is there but the funds to pay employees may not be.

[scimitar12]

Originally Posted by Meemur

I strongly recommend that you get a job before you move there.

While the economy is getting better even high-demand jobs, like nursing, may take some time to secure: the need is there but the funds to pay employees may not be.

Yup. I would never move anywhere unless I had a job lined up. Having said that I would live on the Iowa side, specifically Bettendorf or in the Pleasant Valley school district.

[BrianGC]

Originally Posted by 0Cosmopolitan9

Hello everyone!

We are considering relocating from Chicago to Quad-cities in a couple of months, and I am not convinced yet. I have lived in the Chicago area for over 12 years now. I don't have any job lined up, but I will be looking for one after moving there.

I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on where to live in the Quad-cities. I'm wondering about the area. Is living in the Quad-cities comparable to Minneapolis, since I have been to Minneapolis several times.

Thanks in advance for any insight!

Based on the bolded parts, does a significant other have a job offer for the area? That could help things while you search of course. Otherwise, I also wouldn't recommend moving there without work lined up.

I lived in the QC for about 2 years (2012 to 2014) due to a job that brought me there. 6 months in Davenport and 1.5 years in Moline (both of which have the best downtowns in the area IMO). Overall, I really enjoyed my time, but I wouldn't want to live there long term (maybe 4-5 years maximum). As already mentioned, the Iowa side is a little nicer, but I wouldn't completely discount the Illinois side. Bettendorf is typically considered the nicest, most upscale part of the QC. Both sides of the river have small-scale versions of amenities found in larger cities (decent bars, restaurants, concerts, shopping, etc.), but they don't have a lot of the premium stuff you're used to in Chicago. The people overall were nice, although it may be difficult to make actual friends outside of co-workers unless you get involved in some type of social group.

I definitely would NOT say it's comparable to Minneapolis. The QC is not nearly as large and therefore doesn't come close in local entertainment and amenities. However, the benefit of the QC is that it's cheaper and isn't as regionally isolated. You have a lot of interesting cities you can reasonably drive to on a weekend if you get bored (Des Moines, Madison, Milwaukee, Twin Cities, Chicago, STL, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Peoria, etc.).

If you're interested in the outdoors, look up the Driftless Area (you might have already heard about it, living in Chicago) - very scenic region that begins not too far north of the QC, and I never expected something like that to exist in the midwest. Quite reminiscent of the Appalachian foothills. More local: Credit Island, Blackhawk Forest, Scott County Park, and the river front parks are decent places to hike.

As expected with smaller airports, flights out of MLI are going to be more expensive and/or limited compared to ORD. You may find you'll need to drive a bit to catch a better deal. Allegiant is cheap (just remember to factor in carry-on fees), but they only fly to a few locations down south and on select days/times.

Try to avoid commuting across the I-74 bridge for the next few years, if possible. They're constructing a new one:
I-74 River Bridge

I would definitely recommend spending a(n) (extended) weekend in the QC. Get a cheap Airbnb and drive around each of the cities and neighborhoods to see what you might like.