Davenport Built-Environment (Bettendorf: appointed, low crime, houses)

[paiste13]

I am married but we do not have any children. We are looking into moving to Davenport/Quad Cities but the few times I've visited I have been disappointed by the negative built environment. Specifically the entire Kimberly Rd. mall area and north to I-80. I know all cities have their post-war sprawl but for some reason I can not pinpoint why this whole area just seems ugly to me. I can't tell if it is a wealthy suburb or a run down suburb, etc., - it was all mixed together. Is this the main place to go shopping and out to eat? Are there nicer areas? It's almost like they took all the extra grass and made it unused parking to the extreme.

Secondly, we drove around East Davenport and Bettendorf to look at nicer houses but what we really want is a nice older neighborhood without crime and we couldn't see any. A streercar suburb with sidewalks would suit our needs perfectly. A few examples of these would be Lakewood Balmoral in Chicago, Highland Park in Saint Paul, and Westport/Country Club In Kansas City. Are there any neighborhoods like these in the QC that are in tact and safe? We like corner cafes and whatnot but East Davenport seemed a bit too old.

Thanks!

[CSD610]

I just left Davenport about an hour ago and was right there in the area you are talking about. If you drive around a bit from I80 down Northwest Blvd to Kimberly Road or take Brady Street to Kimberly Road and beyond you will find some very nice neighborhoods that are newer to older. Kimberly road is basically the main road through along with 53rd Street but Kimberly Road has a lot of Restaurants and the Groceries, Auto Parts, the Mall, etc. At the mall Habaneros is excellent and on Northwest Blvd, Ganzo's is wonderful.

[Dport7674]

Elmore avenue and 53rd has become the shopping hot spot.

As far as old homes with low crime look into McClellan Heights and the neighborhood just east of Vanderveer park.

[CincyIowan]

Originally Posted by Dport7674

Elmore avenue and 53rd has become the shopping hot spot.

As far as old homes with low crime look into McClellan Heights and the neighborhood just east of Vanderveer park.

Don't forget the Norwood Park area just east Vanderveer.

[kcright79]

Secondly, we drove around East Davenport and Bettendorf to look at nicer houses but what we really want is a nice older neighborhood without crime and we couldn't see any.

lol Everytime I look in the quad city paper someone is getting murdered, high speed police chases and bank robberies. You're not going to find anyplace without crime unless you go to a rural community about 60 miles away or more from any major city. It's a nice dream you have though and I once had that dream not anymore though. Not in today's America.

I can not pinpoint why this whole area just seems ugly to me.

That's probably because it is ugly. Everything from i-74 bridge where they slow the speed limit down because they didn't build it right in the first place, to trucks not being able to clear underpasses because they are too dumb to build it high enough.

[QuadCityImages]

The neighborhoods between Locust and Kimberly seem to be what the OP is looking for. Older homes, but not run down, low crime, but not white-flight suburban neighborhoods. Its the happy medium between some of the extremes.

Originally Posted by kcright79

That's probably because it is ugly. Everything from i-74 bridge where they slow the speed limit down because they didn't build it right in the first place, to trucks not being able to clear underpasses because they are too dumb to build it high enough.

Some of the infrastructure you're talking about was built before modern standards for things like interstate speeds and truck heights. The Arsenal Bridge, for example, was built with the roadway below the railroad portion because if it was the other way around the steam from the steam locomotives would startle the horses using the road. So yeah, kind of built in a different era. The older span of the I-74 bridge could will be nearly 90 years old by the time the new bridge is finished.

[leilay]

Originally Posted by paiste13

...Specifically the entire Kimberly Rd. mall area and north to I-80. I know all cities have their post-war sprawl but for some reason I can not pinpoint why this whole area just seems ugly to me. I can't tell if it is a wealthy suburb or a run down suburb, etc., - it was all mixed together. Is this the main place to go shopping and out to eat? Are there nicer areas? It's almost like they took all the extra grass and made it unused parking to the extreme.

Brady St. in particular is under-developed and patchily run down. It's one of the detriments of living here, that they seem to encourage new development despite parts of town have very low business occupancy rates. Part of that is the area owned by the mall (it seems no one wants to use those properties now), part is the change in traffic flow (almost everything is on Elmore or 53rd these days), but some is just the sheer lack of city planning.

Originally Posted by paiste13

Secondly, we drove around East Davenport and Bettendorf to look at nicer houses but what we really want is a nice older neighborhood without crime and we couldn't see any. A streercar suburb with sidewalks would suit our needs perfectly. A few examples of these would be Lakewood Balmoral in Chicago, Highland Park in Saint Paul, and Westport/Country Club In Kansas City. Are there any neighborhoods like these in the QC that are in tact and safe? We like corner cafes and whatnot but East Davenport seemed a bit too old.

Thanks!

East Davenport is pretty much it as far as I know for the older, walkable neighborhood with shops feel. There are some roads with brick streets just south of Locust near a cafe, or perhaps the Glen-Armil neighborhood would be suited near St. Ambrose. The college is kind of a nice location to walk through, and there are a couple of parks nearby as well.

[kcright79]

QuadCityImages that's correct it's almost a century old. I can't see letting something go that long without updating it. There should have been a new I-74 bridge decades ago. The underpasses should have been rebuilt for semi's to pass under them decades ago. It all costs money and could be they didn't have the money to do it. I do see them making more of an effort now. It is good to see.

[jeffs]

Unfortunately we border a deadbeat broke state, Illinois. Since the bridge spans two states both are required to fund it. Iowa has the funding, Illinois is dead broke. So we have to stick with an ugly out of date bridge for another 10 years or so. With Illinois money problems, even getting the funding in the next 10 years is no guarantee.

[Dport7674]

I was in downtown Bettendorf a few weeks ago...Half the buildings at the foot of the 74 bridge have been leveled (Around Ross' restaurant)..I think it's to make room for the new bridge. Probably still a few years away tho'.