Why doesn't Clinton, IA capitalize on it's location? (Des Moines, Cedar Rapids: hotels, casino)

[Kraftask]

Seems like Clinton might be on of the most forgotten about & neglected city in Iowa. Couldn't they attract more business by marketing themselves & Iowa's easternmost city & halfway point between CR/IA City & Chicagoland? Similar to what cities Like Rochelle have been doing in recent years by being halfway between Chicago & the Quad Cities. It seems like they're going thru a mini boom right now even though Rochelle is a lot smaller than Clinton.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by Kraftask

Why doesn't Clinton, IA capitalize on it's location?

You know where I-80 crosses through Davenport? US 30 used to carry that traffic through Clinton.
What did you want to say about location?

[Kraftask]

Originally Posted by MrRational

You know where I-80 crosses through Davenport? US 30 used to carry that traffic through Clinton.
What did you want to say about location?

Even with Davenport's superior location, Isn't it struggling too when compared to Cedar Rapids & Des Moines?

[Shhon]

Originally Posted by Kraftask

Even with Davenport's superior location, Isn't it struggling too when compared to Cedar Rapids & Des Moines?

Davenport is growing, just slightly slow, different buildings were built downtown recently and currently. Davenport is growing in the north along with north Bettendorf but just in total population growth, it's growing slower than Cedar Rapids & Des Moines. I think when development comes to the Quad Cities there are so many options in where to build so Davenport grows slower compared to other places.

I think with Clinton, there aren't any interstate highways going up to Clinton, plus not many reasons so everything in that area develops in the Quad Cities area.

When you say capitalize on its location, I don't see where there are any ways for that. I think Davenport is the place that needs to capitalize on its location because of how it's surrounded by interstate highways plus that large truck stop in Walcott. I just think there could be more hotels along I-80 in between the truck stop and Davenport city limits or just more stuff along I-80 in Davenport. They built the new casino and that sports complex out there but there are cornfields to develop still.

[oil capital]

Originally Posted by Kraftask

Seems like Clinton might be on of the most forgotten about & neglected city in Iowa. Couldn't they attract more business by marketing themselves & Iowa's easternmost city & halfway point between CR/IA City & Chicagoland? Similar to what cities Like Rochelle have been doing in recent years by being halfway between Chicago & the Quad Cities. It seems like they're going thru a mini boom right now even though Rochelle is a lot smaller than Clinton.

I’m not sure how good a model Rochelle is . . .

Population of Rochelle Illinois:
2010: 9,574
2020: 9,446
2021 (est): 9,367

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by oil capital

I’m not sure how good a model Rochelle is . . .

Population of Rochelle Illinois:
2010: 9,574
2020: 9,446
2021 (est): 9,367

Rochelle is mostly a railroad town with some manufacturing businesses. It does have very good interstate highway access to other cities, however.

[oil capital]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

Rochelle is mostly a railroad town with some manufacturing businesses. It does have very good interstate highway access to other cities, however.

Sure, but there doesn't seem to be much (any) evidence of a mini-boom.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by oil capital

Sure, but there doesn't seem to be much (any) evidence of a mini-boom.

The only smaller cities in Illinois with growing population are the Bloomington Normal and Champaign Urbana areas. All smaller towns are declining, so Clinton doesn't really have a unique advantage in the modern economy with its river location. River towns and cities along the Mississippi River are among the fastest declining in the country, regardless of region.

[mustang84]

Originally Posted by Shhon

Davenport is growing, just slightly slow, different buildings were built downtown recently and currently. Davenport is growing in the north along with north Bettendorf but just in total population growth, it's growing slower than Cedar Rapids & Des Moines. I think when development comes to the Quad Cities there are so many options in where to build so Davenport grows slower compared to other places.

It seems like it is give and take with the Quad Cities population growth. Bettendorf has definitely seen some growth, and Davenport a little, but several cities on the Illinois side continue to lose population and I believe the metro area only grew about 3,000 from 2010 to 2020, which is pretty small compared to the growth in Iowa City (+22,000) and Cedar Rapids (+20,000) metro areas over that same timeframe. I've always wondered why the Quad Cities haven't seen faster growth with the confluence of interstate highways, the river, and the proximity to Chicago.

Clinton is doing some nice things in their downtown area, and I am glad to see them trying, but it is going to be an uphill battle. They are pretty isolated in terms of highways - not many people take that stretch of 30 compared to I-80; it's pretty far from US 61 which is a main corridor between the Quad Cities and Dubuque/Wisconsin; and US 67 is kind of a meandering highway between Clinton and the Quad Cities that doesn't really offer a quick connection to the QC metro. They really should look at redeveloping their riverfront as an extension of the existing downtown area, making it more of an arts/entertainment district similar to Dubuque, but I think they will still struggle to attract people due to the remote location.

[Kraftask]

Originally Posted by mustang84

It seems like it is give and take with the Quad Cities population growth. Bettendorf has definitely seen some growth, and Davenport a little, but several cities on the Illinois side continue to lose population and I believe the metro area only grew about 3,000 from 2010 to 2020, which is pretty small compared to the growth in Iowa City (+22,000) and Cedar Rapids (+20,000) metro areas over that same timeframe. I've always wondered why the Quad Cities haven't seen faster growth with the confluence of interstate highways, the river, and the proximity to Chicago.

Clinton is doing some nice things in their downtown area, and I am glad to see them trying, but it is going to be an uphill battle. They are pretty isolated in terms of highways - not many people take that stretch of 30 compared to I-80; it's pretty far from US 61 which is a main corridor between the Quad Cities and Dubuque/Wisconsin; and US 67 is kind of a meandering highway between Clinton and the Quad Cities that doesn't really offer a quick connection to the QC metro. They really should look at redeveloping their riverfront as an extension of the existing downtown area, making it more of an arts/entertainment district similar to Dubuque, but I think they will still struggle to attract people due to the remote location.

I'm always amazed how dead US 30 can be at times east of Sterling/Rock Falls. Somtimes you can go miles without seeing a single vehicle. But between Sterling & Clinton, it's like the difference between night & day. It almost seems like it needs more capacity to handle all the traffic between Clinton & i-88.