Davenport- Local Advice Appreciated (Bettendorf: apartments, rentals, lofts)

[Comixchik]

I've accepted a job in the Quad Cities area, so I shall be moving there. I'm currently in Chicago, so the climate won't be a challenge.

I'll be looking to rent an apartment, two bedroom (I have my disabled niece with me). I'll need someplace that accepts cats.

I'm open to Moline, Davenport, Rock Island. Any advice as to where's best for me? I'm middle aged, physically active, love libraries, kind of a nerdy sort, I suppose.

I'm also lesbian, and wondering if it's a good town for lesbians? (I know, Iowa has marriage, but I've no one to marry, so it's not an issue at the moment.)

The job is a good one, much better than I have currently, so if I'm to make some sacrifices, so be it. It's work I want to do.

I'm looking mostly at Davenport to live in. What are safe, reasonable, and fun areas?

[Dport7674]

I lived in Sherwood forest apts. behind the fairgrounds on W. Locust st. and they accepted cats, at least my neighbor had one...I'm drawing a blank on the name of a few other apt. complexes...I'll come back after I wake up a bit.

Dav. has a Gay/Lesbian night club area called the Rainbow district and it doesn't seem to get much negative attention so I can't imagine you'd have a problem with most people in the QCA.

[jeffs]

Heres a few links you can look at.

Davenport IA Apartments for Rent, Search by Map for Apartment Rentals in Davenport, Iowa

Davenport Apartments | Search Apartments in Davenport IA

Apartment Rentals | Quad Cities USA - Guide to Davenport & Bettendorf Iowa and Rock Island & Moline Illinois

Davenport is a nice city, with a low cost of living, and fairly low crime. The further you go downtown past locust street, you can get into some sketchy areas, nothing like in parts of Chicago, but not the safest neighborhoods, but the downtown as a whole isnt bad. Theres plenty of apartments that allow cats. You might have to pay a small deposit.
Davenport renovated a lot of buildings into lofts downtown. Some of them are very nice. They're located downtown, within walking distance, or a short bus ride to the downtown library, farmers market, bars, parks, casino. All Davenport buses are handicapped accessible. That might be your best bet, the first link shows some of the lofts, and they allow cats. As the poster ahead of me said, there is a rainbow district on 2nd street with a few gay bars that have done well, but even if you go to any other bar, you will be fine. I have gay friends and family members, and they have never had any discrimination problems here. Most of the cities in Iowa are pretty liberal, despite what the national stereotypes of Iowa are. Other than that, if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

[nickasarbata]

Are you from Chicago, or just living there? Either way it doesn't really matter -- Davenport's gay "district" will shock you -- and not in a good way. It's a little cluster of two or three gay bars that are really, really sad... Imagine a mix of older gays and lesbians mixed with some rather rough people who live in that neighborhood and take advantage of the cheap happy hour drinks... and then imagine that everything's a bit run-down. One of the bars is sort of okay (in a "Cheers" meets poolhall sort of way). Having lived in several big cities, I have to say, the "rainbow district" is a place I'd rather avoid than hang out at. I have a good friend from Chicago who used to bartend at one of the clubs there, and he agreed. Rather sad. But I guess it's nice that they're there. There are many towns that don't have any gay bars.

Most of the gays I know in Iowa (I live in NYC now) meet people on the internet -- NOT in those bars.

That was my $0.02 on that.