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Davenport

Info:

Davenport is Iowa’s third largest city, the county seat of Scott County, and home to 98,359 people, with 359,062 in the Davenport-Rock Island- Moline (Quad Cities) metropolitan area. Located halfway between Des Moines and Chicago on the Mississippi River, Davenport was incorporated as a special charter city of the territory of Iowa in 1839 and named for Colonel George Davenport; a popular local figure whose home located in nearby Fort Armstrong (now Rock Island Arsenal) was host to early meetings establishing the city. Two years later the city became the Seat of Scott County.

Davenport started as a river port and transportation hub. Its early industry reflected this with timber mills, planning mills, barrel factories, furniture factories, slaughter houses and breweries. In 1856, Davenport became home to the first Rail Road Bridge to cross the Mississippi River. By the 1890s Davenport had grown into a retail and commercial hub, with most of the largest banks in the state calling Davenport home.

As Davenport entered the 20th century, the city’s downtown grew with multilevel office buildings and hotels. Also streetcar lines dotted the city. The city thrived through the 1930s and 1940s as a cultural hub with the cities of Rock Island and Moline, Illinois. During this time, the Tri-Cities were home to both NFL and NBA teams. During the later half of the 20th Century Davenport and the Quad Cities established itself as the Farm Implement Capital of the World with John Deere and other manufacturers calling the Quad Cities home. The local economy’s reliance on this type of manufacturing during the farm crisis of the 1980’s devastated the local economy.

Today, Davenport is making a comeback by diversifying its economy into service and tourism. The Mississippi River is the city’s greatest asset and is playing a vital role in its comeback with riverboat casinos, recreation, and new downtown developments. More photos of Davenport will likely be added to this page in the future.

Galleries:

Downtown Davenport
The Riverfront and Skyline Views
Neighborhoods

The Quad Cities is unique in the regard of having one metro area with 3 distinct downtown cores, each offering something unique to the metro. Historic downtown Davenport could be considered the largest downtown district and is the business hub of the Quad Cities, but it offers many other amenities. As is the case with many other cities, downtown Davenport is also a focus of recreation, culture and attractions. The downtown area is slowly improving with newly constructed icons such as the Figge Arts Museum, Skybridge and a resurgent, beautiful riverfront. Visit some of the prominent downtown structures and street views and don't forget to check out the Davenport Riverfront page for skyline views of the city and a slice of what is found in this true Mississippi River city.

The history and lore of of the Mississippi River is alive and well with the resurgence of the Davenport Riverfront. The riverfront provides a series of parks and attractions that greatly add to the quality of life in the Quad Cities. A spot that shouldn't be missed on any visit to the Quad Cities, the riverfront is one of the few on the upper Mississippi River that offer unparalleled views and access to the riverfront due to the lack of flood protection walls. The riverfront is home to LeClaire Park, the John O' Donnell Field (home of the A Davenport River Bandits) and some of the best viewing for the boat traffic and activity of the Mississippi River. This photo page also contains many views of the Davenport skyline, many taken from the Rock Island, Illinois side of the riverfront.

Davenport, Iowa is home to some of the finest examples of historical residential vernacular in all of Iowa. From the many historic neighborhoods surrounding the downtown area and sitting on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River, to classic craftsman style neighborhoods across from Davenport's premier urban park, there is a little bit of most residential architecture styles. Explore a few of the more prominent neighborhoods on this photo page, including the historic East Village area, the city's premier eclectic shopping and arts urban district.