Davenport is Iowa's third largest city, behind Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, with a population of 99,685 according to the 2010 census. It is, however, tightly integrated with the cities of Bettendorf, Iowa, Moline, and Rock Island, Illinois, which together form the Quad Cities with the Mississippi River flowing between Iowa and Illinois. The Quad Cities metropolitan area has a population of about 400,000.After the Black Hawk War in 1832, fought mainly in Wisconsin and Illinois, resulted the deaths of 77 settlers and soldiers and 450 to 600 members of the Sauk tribe, a treaty was signed by the Sauk and the United States. This led to an additional agreement in which six million acres of eastern Iowa was sold to the U.S. for $20,000 a year for 30 years. As a result of this purchase, Davenport was established in 1836 by Antoine LeClaire, who named it after his friend Colonel George Davenport, who was stationed at Fort Armstrong in Rock Island during the war.In 1856, the first railroad bridge across the Mississippi was built between Davenport and Rock Island, establishing Davenport as a commercial railroad hub and, during the decades that followed, the city and its surrounding areas prospered. Davenport suffered through the Great Depression like the rest of the country, but was also hit hard by the farm crisis of the 1980s, when nearly 35,000 workers lost their jobs in the Quad Cities area.
Since the farm crisis, Davenport has staged a comeback. It took advantage of Iowa's gambling laws in the early 1990s and provided riverboat gambling on the Mississippi, later replaced by a land based casino. Davenport's historic warehouse district draws young professionals with trendy and affordable lofts close to coffee shops, artist studios, shopping, and riverfront bike paths. In 2007, the U.S. Conference of Mayors named it one of the country's most livable small cities.In addition, Davenport has overnight riverboat cruises and is home to the world-renowned Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival. Another major event is the Quad City Air Show, usually held in June, with many flying and stationary exhibitions. In 2011, Davenport will host RAGBRAI, the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, XXXIX. On its final day, when thousands of participants will ceremoniously dip their tires in the Mississippi River, having started out seven days earlier dipping their tires in the Missouri River.For additional information visit the Davenport, IA yellow pages or the Davenport, IA business directory .
Written by Lyndsey Morgan
