Tell me about the Quad Cities! Possible relocation (Davenport, Bettendorf: low income, apartments)

[TeamStarks]

Hello!

(Please bear with me)

My husband has a final interview next week for a position in the Quad Cities. I was born in Iowa Falls but moved when I was 8. I have a lot of family in the Central part of the state and some in Davenport.

My mom is from Davenport (born and raised) and I grew up hearing that "the only thing good that came out of Davenport is the interstate" and high-tailed it out when she turned 18. Needless to say I think her opinions have clouded my husbands judgement about the area and I would really like him to seriously consider the offer.

Our other option is in Miami and honestly, while I LOVE the Florida weather am terrified to take my kids to the area because of crime and schools.

SO, after that long narrative here is the real question:

What areas are good for a young family (I have 3 year old twins)? We love parks, swimming and walks. What is the dining scene like? We aren't big chain people and would love to find some local eateries. Is it easy to make friends and establish roots? We would rent our first couple of years. Would you consider crime a problem?

My Great Gran had a house on Farnam many years ago and that is the only area I really remember!

Thank you for reading all of this and helping me. I would love to move back to Iowa and be closer to my extended family.

[TravelingSilvers]

Below locust is considered bad, North of Locust is a good area and even then it's spotty.
There honestly aren't that many nice areas in Davenport anymore. North of Kimberly on the East of Eastern Ave isn't bad, although they do have a group of low income housing apartments around there.
Don't get me wrong there are some nice parts of Davenport, but you really have to search around.

That's the thing with Davenport is there is sooo much Low income housing apartments scattered all over and popping up. They build them in neighborhoods that used to once be nice safe places to let your kids run around.
Bettendorf used to be nice also, but same thing is happening there.
Davenport Crime is pretty high and pretty bad. The air pollution is pretty terrible there also.
There's a few food plants that pollute the air and when the wind shifts you can smell them through half of Davenport.
Schools in Davenport are ranked pretty low also. There's alot of bullying at the schools and the intermediate and high schools don't seem to take it as serious as they lead you to believe. It's really not the place it was 20 years ago. It seems alot of the crime pushed out of Chicago ends up in the Quad Cities.
Davenport crime index is 445 (which is way to high for me) Bettendorf is only 117, so that's where I'd look, but it's right next door to Davenport so the crime does leak out and over there.

I've lived in Eastern Iowa and Davenport most of my life and I've seen it headed downhill.
They try to clean it up and spruce it up with riverboat gambling and Hotel casinos, they also tried cleaning up their downtown which did help, but the crime hasn't been cleaned up, which doesn't help.
There's the Mighty Mississippi, but it's very dirty and you can't swim in it, you also can't eat any fish caught from it.

I'm a bit biased though as I can't stand it here (Eastern Iowa in general) and we're actually moving to the PNW to escape the Lack of outdoor scenery, activities, escape the crime, terrible schooling, terrible roads, and air pollution. All the stuff I don't want to raise my kids in.
Sorry I couldn't say anything positive about the Quad Cities, but like I said I'm a bit biased here and this just isn't a place for my family.
I'm sure a few people will pop in and tell you the brighter side of the Quad Cities, which there probably is one, just not our cup of tea.

[Dport7674]

I grew up in Bettendorf and Davenport, and I go back often. People who think Davenport crime is "pretty high and pretty bad" are sheltered fools. The crime in the Quad Cities is petty compared to many places that are considered good places to live.

There isn't low income housing popping up in Bettendorf.

If I ever have kids I would love to raise them in Bettendorf. Good schools, excellent parks, an amazing bike path, an award winning childrens museum.

You're really going to have to visit. You'll get people like the guy above me telling you the sky is falling in the Quad Cities and you'll get guys like me telling you it's a pretty damn nice area. Full of excellent festivals and parks and more than enough outdoor scenery and activities.

[QuadCityImages]

With the idea that pictures are worth 1000 words, I'd suggest that you check out the Quad City Photo Thread. As you can see, its certainly not the terrible place that Silvers describes.

[TeamStarks]

Thank you all for the feedback. I was so worried about being insulting and that was the last thing I wanted to do! I will make sure that my husband gets a good tour of the city when he goes for his final interview.

I really would love for my kids to grow up around cousins AND in the wonderful state of Iowa!

[TravelingSilvers]

lmao...check out the crime statistics. Check out the dirty polluted river, check out statistics on the schooling, or the air quality. There are also only a few state parks nearby, one which was a caving park which you can not cave in anymore. Look at maps with State and National Parks and you'll see how Barren Iowa is with real outdoor activities and recreations, but some people are ok with that. The roads are terrible because the city is too poor or cheap to take care of them. Photos don't tell the whole story. Photos of Kirkwood Blvd. make it look like an ideal place to live, but it's not. Quad cities also gets less sunshine then the average US city. I'm sure that doesn't bother some people, but all those things would bother me.
I honestly don't care if you believe me. It may be the place for you. To each his own, but I'm not going to lie about what Davenport is and turn a blind eye to it. Also I'm no sheltered fool (Which insults are pretty low), I've just seen the bad side of the Quad cities. Not everyone does, so that's why I say look at Statistics, Call the Police Departments, and like you said visit here and do some research.
And you can say there's bad in all cities and there is, but when you live in a nice neighborhood (so you thought) and you see cops block off your street and raid a house at the end of the block it makes you wonder.
Or maybe when there's a drive by a block away and its so loud it wakes you up to where you think it just happened inside your house. All in a nice middle class neighborhood (well above locust). A neighborhood that has 7-12 year old kids running around and playing. But people can say, well it wasn't my neighborhood, and I would've said the same thing. Somethings just not right.

[Dport7674]

lmao, How about a link to these drive by's in the Quad Cities that happen so often. Or any serious crime.

[JTJ1977]

I live off of Kirkwood Blvd., and I'll tell you what Kirkwood has: hard working families (yeah, you're probably one of those simpletons who watches the "news" and believes everything that you see) just trying to make it in the world. We are racially, culturally, and economically diverse, and we have our set of problems, but what neighborhood doesn't? You are creating a false perception that living in the neighborhoods south of Locust are akin to a "First 48" episode, when anyone with half a brain realizes that the neighborhoods south of Locust are generally safe (and the Quad Cities area to boot).

There are plenty of folks north of Locust that are addicted to (and selling) drugs, so let's stop kidding ourselves. Its just that when you have money (and BTW, most people anywhere in the Quad Cities do not), and, in some cases, social influence, then you can catch breaks legally that poorer people cannot---whether you live north or south of Locust. McClellan Heights is south of Locust. What an incredibly "dangerous" neighborhood..lol. And I love how you quote the violent crimes index from the FBI without understanding its context.

If you think that any neighborhood in the Quad Cities are on a level approaching Englewood in Chicago, or Hollygrove in New Orleans, then DPort7674 is right: you are a sheltered fool, and a simple-minded HACK. Happy trails to you, and don't let the door hit your ass on the way out.