Quad Cities or Des Moines? (Davenport: apartments, work, gangs)

[Stevie]

I guess I would choose Des Moines since I'm a lot more familiar with it, although I wouldn't mind living in the Quad Cities. I drove out there about a week ago and thought it looked nice.

I also liked Le Claire a lot too. Very pretty town.

[zz4guy]

Originally Posted by DSMGuy

You're just trying to bait us in a QC vs DM flame war ZZ. Not falling for it.

Haha yeah and you're all falling for it like bluegills in spawning season.

Not three posts in and somebody has to bash the QC.

Why do people in Dsm feel like they must bash everybody else to feel good about what they've got?

I don't mind where I live. Sure it's got problems and I'm the first one to admit, but that's life.

[mfrerkes]

Originally Posted by zz4guy

Haha yeah and you're all falling for it like bluegills in spawning season.

So far, nobody has really fell for it. A Des Moines poster stated why he likes his city, but offered some kind comments about the QC area in return.

I spent 17 years total around the Des Moines area (although not DM proper) and enjoyed my time there. I grew up on WHO and KCCI-TV (is the weather beacon still operational?) and summer trips to Adventureland. I've walked the skywalks and walked a few laps around Grays Lake. You're not going to find me bashing such a nice city in any way. [[Though I've met a few posters from DM who love talking crap about other Iowa cities...don't really care for those people.]]

In July 2006, I moved back to the QC from central Iowa and haven't regretted it for one moment. I can easily say I'm proud to have called both areas home.

[mfrerkes]

Originally Posted by zz4guy

Why do people in Dsm feel like they must bash everybody else to feel good about what they've got?

First of all, not everybody from Des Moines does this. Yes, there are some, but it is unfair to paint every DM poster with that brush.

People like Luke who obviously live on these forums to bash the Quad Cities automatically lose their own credibility. Any first-year psych major can tell you why people like Luke feel the need to overcompensate with such unfounded vitriolic comments towards the QC.

[DMRyan]

I think that the most unique thing about the Quad Cities is also it's alchilles heel. The area feels smaller because it's divied up into three unique core cities instead of clustered into one large downtown. I would think that the Quad Cities would get much more press as a mid-sized city if it had all of its downtown amenities clustered into one core. It's nice though to jump across the river and explore the unique urban pockets. With the exception of the lack of a downtown in Bettendorf, each downtown really adds something to the metro. Rock Island being the entertainment district, Moline having some big tourist draws and Davenport being what I consider to be the business hub of the region.

[mfrerkes]

Originally Posted by DMRyan

I would think that the Quad Cities would get much more press as a mid-sized city if it had all of its downtown amenities clustered into one core. It's nice though to jump across the river and explore the unique urban pockets. With the exception of the lack of a downtown in Bettendorf, each downtown really adds something to the metro. Rock Island being the entertainment district, Moline having some big tourist draws and Davenport being what I consider to be the business hub of the region.

You're absolutely right on with that. If the four towns were consolidated as one core city, it would possess more considerable marketing/commercial gravitas.

That said, I could really care less that it doesn't. I'm not choosing to live in the Quad Cities so the rest of the world will pay attention to my place of residence. I choose to live here because it suits me, and having this little "sampler pack" of smaller cities split 50/50 over two very different states is a manifestly unique scenario...for better, or worse.

[DMRyan]

At the end of the day, if someone enjoys living somewhere that's all there is to it. Forgive my city comparison/economic development approach to things, it's a part of what I do for a living.

For the sake of marketing the attributes of a community, selling it to others and gaining favorable accolades which can pay off with new infusions of residents and businesses--that is an important thing in my world and could pay off greater dividends to a city in the future. For those that do strive to show off their community, I would love to imagine a Davenport with all the amenities of three downtowns packed into one cluster. The place may truly give any other city of comparible size a run for its money in terms of downtown amenities. Even if it's not something that's important to you, it's fun to think about.

I've found it makes a tremendous difference in the attitudes of people when a downtown has a large scale revitalization. I've seen it in Des Moines where as soon as a few years ago, young people were entirely down in the dumps about living here. Now they're only marginally down in the dumps. In all seriousness, the attitude among many Des Moines residents and their feelings about their community has changed. I get the sense that the Quad Cities hasn't crossed that threshold yet.

[Go Ne]

Originally Posted by mfrerkes

Somebody who is still obviously smarting from Calgary's decision to move their AAA hockey affiliate from Omaha to the Quad Cities.

Err........... when did that happen? And what team?

[Go Ne]

I hope Davenport passes 100,000 by 2010. It really could help spur development in the area, oh, and I expect the 3 downtowns to eventually melt together because they are all so close.

[mfrerkes]

Originally Posted by DMRyan

At the end of the day, if someone enjoys living somewhere that's all there is to it. Forgive my city comparison/economic development approach to things, it's a part of what I do for a living.

...the attitude among many Des Moines residents and their feelings about their community has changed. I get the sense that the Quad Cities hasn't crossed that threshold yet.

One of my biggest gripes about the QC is that it doesn't market itself as aggressively as it should. The "powers-that-be" in this area tend to segregate amongst themselves instead of working for the greater good of a bi-state metropolitan area. It would be nice if that paradigm changes, and some say that's already in the process of happening. When it does completely, that will only serve to make the Quad City area even better.

I'm also dismayed by some of the self-defeating types who let their negative attitude pervade the image of our region. Even a few years after it opened, there is still a chorus of idiots who refer to Davenport's Skybridge as "The Bridge To Nowhere". Those people could care less that project (or the Figge, or RME) made Davenport's downtown area more unique, they're simply content to wallow in their ignorance and negativity. Every city has their own local naysayer element, however. That's not a condition exclusive to the Quad Cities.

I think the biggest hurdle facing the area is this continued misperception by outsiders that the QC is still mired with 25% unemployment and everything is closing down just like it was 25 years ago. That chapter is ancient history, yet you wouldn't know it by the way some talk. Just this year AT&T opened a brand-new 700-employee office in Davenport. E-serv is putting the finishing touches on their new 350-employee support center near Bettendorf. In 2009, Triumph Foods will open their $135,000,000 processing plant in East Moline which is set to employ 1,000 people when it reaches peak capacity. In addition, there has been recent increased hiring by perennial employers Deere, Alcoa, and the RI Arsenal.

Yet somehow, almost everybody outside of the Quad Cities thinks the area is a few dozen people away from being a ghost town. Perplexing.