Help!! Unsure of where to move too. (Davenport, Bettendorf: apartments, rent)

[mdsamson]

I'm from Madison,WI and in my middle 20's and in a few weeks my boyfriend and I will be moving toward the Quad Cities area but were stuck on where to pick and choose from. We know little information about some of the areas the locals have told me about : for example they say do not move to East Moline or Rock Island....How come? I found that rent was cheaper over that way. So I starting looking toward the downtown area of Moline and Davenport,IA.But I'm just stuck and have a terrible time finding things in just short notice. If anyone could help us with information as to which town is better to live in Moline,IL or Davenport,IA or surround areas. Information on apartments,busses... attractions, events, just anything ...we would be glady appericated.

[marymoon]

I would stick with Davenport, but that's just my opinion. East Moline and Rock Island have some areas that are a bit more "run down" and "dangerous" than the "run down" areas in Davenport. There are a lot of apt complexes in Davenport and some really cool historic areas.
I guess I should ask where will you be working? I'd live in whatever state you work in, the commute across the bridges can get hairy at times.

[LPerkins33]

if you live in Illinois you'll pay less state taxes but you will have to pay more for gasoline. I'd say its about equal to in cost over the long haul. I too would stick with D-port.

[AmeliaJohn]

Glad you had the income tax info, LPerkins. That's a big thing to think about.

The reason the housing is cheaper in E.Moline and is the crime rate is higher--pretty unsafe... so say M&FIL who lived in Bettendorf.

btw, Bettendorf is a suburb of D'port, but a little more for "established" families, higher income stuff.... I'd stick with Davenport itself, but can't give any advice on particular areas, sorry.

Just wanted to warn you about the crime rate.. Have you checked with local realtors? They work together so fast online, and the Davenport realtors should be fairly honest with you...you can draw your own conclusions, too, from what they say... just start with your area realtors and go from there.

someone else on here will have better and more direct info, too. welcome to Iowa!

[zz4guy]

There's a dangerous stretch just outside downtown Davenport around Brady street I'd be cautious of. Had a buddy that lived there while going to Palmer and he saw a gang fight and one kid get beat almost to death. Luckily he called the cops and they scattered. I'd stay well north of downtown.

[skittles15]

My girlfriend lives in the Mississippi lofts (in dport) and I went to St. Ambrose University my first year of college. Dport is all in all a bit old and run down, especially on locust st (st ambrose area). Check out bettendorf, its a lot safer and family oriented. zz4guy is right, the college area in Dport is a ****hole. my first week of school we heard gunshots on our way to a party, wouldn't have been so bad if we didn't hear the shots hitting cars in the parking lot near us. Real eye opener for a freshman in college coming from small town iowa. BTW last time i checked Dport was the highest in violent crime in Iowa.

Sounds like bettendorf is your best bet, otherwise live in one of the surrounding towns, eldridge or walcott.

[QuadCityImages]

None of the Quad Cities are that bad crime-wise. Certainly not enough to discount any of them entirely. Stats don't tell the whole story. If you don't get involved in the negative scenes, Davenport and the other QC's are very safe.

[zz4guy]

Originally Posted by QuadCityImages

None of the Quad Cities are that bad crime-wise. Certainly not enough to discount any of them entirely. Stats don't tell the whole story. If you don't get involved in the negative scenes, Davenport and the other QC's are very safe.

Yeah I agree; wasn't trying to spin QCs in a bad light, but I'd stay away from that crappy area.
I'd have no problem moving to any of the quad cities.

[mdsamson]

Thank you all for your advice.

[mdsamson]

I am not sure of where Im working at as of right now but my bf will be a store manager at the mall called Southpark or Southpole I'm unsure. I've been looking for jobs there but have not come across much.....