Quad Cities or Des Moines? (Davenport, Iowa City: live in, restaurant, cost)

[Go Ne]

Nebraska has very little back and forth, mostly because Omaha is the only Major city and Lincoln has a quarter of our population.

[mfrerkes]

Originally Posted by pioneer98

As Iowans, whatever is good for Des Moines should be good for Davenport and vice-versa.[/SIZE]

This is where I will disagree.

I remarked earlier that 30% growth every ten years might be great for Des Moines, but I don't envision (nor do I even hope) such a thing will ever happen in the Quad Cities. Growth of that magnitude generally ends up degrading quality-of-life factors if it continues unabated. Infrastructure such as schools or roads generally don't keep adequate pace under that type of rapid population expansion resulting in overcrowding, or worse; sprawl. Also, cost-of-living indices such as housing and fuel for ever-growing commute times can become an issue as well. Don't get me wrong, the QC can and must do better than the 1-2% growth it is due by 2010. However, having explosive growth I believe poses more long-term problems than modest growth does.

When I moved back to the Quad Cities in 2006, I didn't do so hoping some day it would become a sprawling metroplex. The two-year stint I did in Chicago during the 90s taught me that overcrowded cities have more irritating problems than redeeming qualities. If Des Moines wants to become the next Chicago, more power to them.

I just prefer living in an area where things are affordable and readily accessible now, and 30 years from now.

[RonnieJonez]

DSM probably rewards traffic, lots of traffic = major city.

In all fairness, I think the growth of the DSM area (mainly WDM) has actually contributed to a better quality of life. There seems to be more options now whether it's shopping, eating, or choosing a bank. Personally, I'm not amazed by these things but I guess the more the merrier.

[mfrerkes]

Originally Posted by RonnieJonez

In all fairness, I think the growth of the DSM area (mainly WDM) has actually contributed to a better quality of life. There seems to be more options now whether it's shopping, eating, or choosing a bank.

Believe it or not, the Quad Cities has also enjoyed a noticeable expansion of retail and service options over the last decade. Both 53rd Street in Davenport and John Deere Road in Moline were mainly cornfields not that long ago, but are now packed with strip malls and big box retailers. There have been large redevelopment projects in the downtown areas as well (Figge, Deere Commons, loft housing, etc.) which add to the quality of life. All this happened with a paltry 1% population growth rate over the last decade.

That is precisely why I'd be apprehensive about sustained 30% growth over any extended period of time. Some growth is good (and necessary), but too much of it can create sprawl, congestion, and spiraling living expenses. I think growth in the 5-10% range generally yields enough progress with very little of the growing pains you'd see at higher rates.

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by zz4guy

If you were offered a job in either town which would you choose and why?

I thought this would be a good discussion since both cities are about the same size, but differ a lot otherwise.

As far as opportunities and current situations, I think Des Moines has this one in the bag. The city is definitely in the middle of an upswing it hasn't seen in decades. After "chilling out" during the 70's through early 90's, it's really exploded the past 15 years. I grew up in Iowa and went to Des Moines to see family about 6 times a year. I remember a few years after the floods in '93 we all kinda started to notice that the burbs were really going nuts and downtown was suddenly coming back to life. I moved away 7 years ago, but when I went back home and took my mom to Des Moines for the hell of it last summer we were both amazed. It's finally crossed that threshold to become a full fledged city that seems to be growing off itself. I think once you're over 500,000 people, your draw becomes much more pronounced among people looking to relocate, especially if they're doing it inner-Iowa.

[iowagirl1977]

Originally Posted by zz4guy

If you were offered a job in either town which would you choose and why?

I thought this would be a good discussion since both cities are about the same size, but differ a lot otherwise.

i've only visited Des Moines, but i absolutely LOVED living in the Quad Cities! but then again, i'm Mexican and the population was the perfect mix for me. don't know how it is in DesMoines.

[mfrerkes]

Originally Posted by iowagirl1977

i've only visited Des Moines, but i absolutely LOVED living in the Quad Cities! but then again, i'm Mexican and the population was the perfect mix for me.

For quite some time the cities of Moline, East Moline, and Silvis have had very considerable Hispanic populations. I know many towns around the Midwest are starting to see a rise in Hispanic populations, but the east end of the Illinois QC has been this way for decades.

Just west of Moline's downtown, there is an interesting Hispanic neighborhood called Floreciente. The residents have just begun revitalizing it, and I can't wait to see what progress they can make over the next ten years.

There's a great video on the neighborhood: http://www.qctimes.tv/p/?section=video&id=2011622

[pioneer98]

Originally Posted by mfrerkes

This is where I will disagree.

I remarked earlier that 30% growth every ten years might be great for Des Moines, but I don't envision (nor do I even hope) such a thing will ever happen in the Quad Cities. Growth of that magnitude generally ends up degrading quality-of-life factors if it continues unabated. Infrastructure such as schools or roads generally don't keep adequate pace under that type of rapid population expansion resulting in overcrowding, or worse; sprawl. Also, cost-of-living indices such as housing and fuel for ever-growing commute times can become an issue as well. Don't get me wrong, the QC can and must do better than the 1-2% growth it is due by 2010. However, having explosive growth I believe poses more long-term problems than modest growth does.

When I moved back to the Quad Cities in 2006, I didn't do so hoping some day it would become a sprawling metroplex. The two-year stint I did in Chicago during the 90s taught me that overcrowded cities have more irritating problems than redeeming qualities. If Des Moines wants to become the next Chicago, more power to them.

I just prefer living in an area where things are affordable and readily accessible now, and 30 years from now.

Well, I guess I meant that if Des Moines succeeds in changing some perceptions about Iowa with its growth, then it might be a good thing for the state as a whole, that's all.

I'm with you - I'm not a big fan of the type of sprawl growth, either. I'm much more encouraged by the downtown revitalization going on in both the Quad Cities and Des Moines. Sprawl just isn't sustainable. This growth by adding counties to an MSA is a bit misleading, too. At the end of the day, the counties are just as far away geographically as they've always been, no matter where the statisticians decide to draw the lines.

Some previous poster mentioned Des Moines getting to 2 million people through this kind of growth. By the time that happens, the Quad Cities will be darn near part of the Chicago MSA (I wish I were kidding). Perhaps more likely, the far exurbs of Chicago will actually be closer to amenities in the Quad Cities than downtown Chicago. When you add in expenses like parking, we're almost there right now.

[mfrerkes]

Originally Posted by pioneer98

Some previous poster mentioned Des Moines getting to 2 million people through this kind of growth. By the time that happens, the Quad Cities will be darn near part of the Chicago MSA (I wish I were kidding). Perhaps more likely, the far exurbs of Chicago will actually be closer to amenities in the Quad Cities than downtown Chicago. When you add in expenses like parking, we're almost there right now.

Look at where the present eastern MSA boundary ends for the Illinois Quad Cities: Henry County. Ironically, Illinois' 14th congressional district (the seat held formerly by Denny Hastert) runs from west suburban Chicago to a mile east of Colona, Illinois -- which is already part of the contiguous QC area.

Kewanee (currently part of the QC MSA) is just three miles from Bureau and LaSalle counties. Those two counties form the Ottawa-Streator-La Salle-Peru micropolitan area (150,000 residents) which is directly adjacent to Kendall and Grundy counties. Keep in mind that both of those counties are already part of the greater Chicago-Naperville-Joliet metropolitan area.

The lines have blurred tremendously, and the greater Chicago metropolitan area is just a county or two away from linking with the Quad City MSA.

[dmguy30]

Originally Posted by RonnieJonez

That is definitely more than "some people", as it is coming from the city itself.

The City of Des Moines isn't behind the "Des Moines: Do More!" campaign. It is from the Greater Des Moines Partnership.

Greater Des Moines Partnership

After visiting the Quad Cities several times in the past few years, I've been quite impressed. I love the Figge and skybridge. It's definately a very cool place. On absolutedsm, a guy has posted tons of recent pictures of Davenport in their forums. I'll have to stop to check out these neighborhoods.

http://www.absolutedsm.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=12