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Davenport, Iowa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Davenport | |||
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| Motto: "Working together to serve you" | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Iowa |
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| County | Scott | ||
| Incorporated | 1839 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Ed Winborn | ||
| Area | |||
| - City | 64.9 sq mi (168.2 km²) | ||
| - Land | 62.8 sq mi (162.6 km²) | ||
| - Water | 2.2 sq mi (5.6 km²) | ||
| Elevation | 700 ft (213 m) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| - City | 99,514 | ||
| - Density | 1,584.6/sq mi (621.0/km²) | ||
| - Metro | 377,291 | ||
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-7) | ||
| ZIP codes | 52801-52809 | ||
| Area code(s) | 563 | ||
| FIPS code | 19-19000 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0455799 | ||
| Website: http://www.cityofdavenportiowa.com/ | |||
Davenport is a city in the American state of Iowa that borders the Mississippi River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 98,359. A 2006 estimate tells that the city had grown slightly to 99,514.[1] Davenport is part of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring Bettendorf and the Illinois cities of Moline and Rock Island. Davenport is the home of Saint Ambrose University and Palmer College of Chiropractic, which is the birthplace of chiropractic medicine and wellness technique. Davenport is the county seat of Scott County.
Davenport often makes national headlines when the Mississippi River floods.[2] It is the largest city bordering the Mississippi that has no permanent floodwall or levee.[3] Davenport prefers the open access to the river for parks and vistas over having access cut off by dikes and levees. Davenport has adopted ordinances that any new construction in the floodplain must be elevated above the 100 year flood level or protected with walls.[4] As a result, feasibility studies done by the United States Army Corps of Engineers have determined that building a floodwall along Davenport's riverfront is not feasible and "would be a huge waste of money".[2] An example of a building that is elevated or floodproofed in Davenport is the Figge Art Museum[5]. During the Great Flood of 1993, the water crested at 22.63 feet on July 9.[6] This is nearly 8 feet above the 14.9 foot flood stage.
Several well-known annual music festivals take place in Davenport. Notable festivals are the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, The Mississippi Valley Fair, and the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival, dedicated to Davenport native Bix Beiderbecke. An internationally known seven-mile foot race called the Bix 7 is run during the festival.
Davenport is one the recipients of the "2007 City Livability Award," in the small-city category, from the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Waste Management representatives. The award acknowledges achievements from the "RiverVision" plan of Davenport and Rock Island; "RiverVision is a bi-state collaboration between Davenport and Rock Island to transform the Mississippi River’s edge into one of the most compelling waterfronts in the nation." [7]
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In 1832, Keokuk and General Winfield Scott signed a treaty to end the Black Hawk War.[8] Antoine LeClaire, who was part French and part Pottawattamie, served as translator. A generous portion of land was gifted by Chief Keokuk to Marguerite LeClaire, Antoine's wife, as she was the granddaughter of a Sac chief.[8] Keokuk stipulated that Antoine build their home on the exact spot where the treaty was signed or forfeit the land. Antoine did so, finishing the Treaty House in the spring of 1833. Davenport was established in 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and named after his good friend Colonel George Davenport.[8]
Colonel Davenport arrived in 1816 with the establishment of Fort Armstrong. He acted as a "sutler," or supplier, for the army's Fort Armstrong (1816 - 1845). Fort Armstrong was located on the northwestern tip of Arsenal Island with the purpose of monitoring fur trade traffic in the area and keeping the peace between local Native American tribes. He contributed to the organization and mapping out of the community, now known as the Quad Cities. He also aided in establishing plans for the first railroad bridge to cross the Mississippi. On July 4, 1845, Colonel Davenport was assaulted in his home by several men who though he had a fortune in his safe. Beaten and left for dead, he survived long enough to give a full description of the criminals before he died that night.[9]
The first railroad bridge built across the Mississippi River connected Davenport and Rock Island, IL in 1856, built by the Rock Island Railroad. [10] Steamboaters saw nationwide railroads as a threat to their business. On May 6, 1856, just weeks after it was completed, a steamboater crashed the Effie Afton steamboat into the bridge. The owner of the Effie Afton, John Hurd, filed a lawsuit against The Rock Island Railroad Company. The Rock Island Railroad Company selected Abraham Lincoln as their trial lawyer.[10]
In 1872, Phebe Sudlow was appointed principal of Davenport High School. She was the first female principal in the United States. [11] On June 19, 1874, Phebe Sudlow was then unanimously voted to the position of Superintendent of Davenport Schools. She was also the first woman in United States history to be a public school superintendent.[11]
On February 18, 1922, WOC Radio makes its broadcasting debut. It is the second licensed station on the air.[12] In 1933, WOC hires future President Ronald Regan as a staff announcer.[12]
Davenport is located at (41.542982, -90.590745)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 64.9 square miles (168.2 km²), of which, 62.8 square miles (162.6 km²) of it is land and 2.2 square miles (5.6 km²) of it (3.31%) is water. Davenport has 27 parks with a total of 2,200 acres (8.9 km²) of land.
While situated squarely in the path of 'Tornado Alley,' Davenport is believed to be protected by a blessing from a mass mound.[13] It may be due to the fact of the Mississippi River and Rock River come together close to the city.[13] Either way, no devastating tornado has ever touched down in Davenport.[13] Davenport was located on the longest stretch of the Mississippi river with rapids. At this point, the river also runs east to west.
| Weather averages for Davenport | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 69 (21) | 70 (21) | 88 (31) | 93 (34) | 94 (34) | 100 (38) | 101 (38) | 100 (38) | 98 (37) | 95 (35) | 80 (27) | 72 (22) | 101 (38) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 30 (-1) | 36 (2) | 48 (9) | 61 (16) | 72 (22) | 81 (27) | 85 (29) | 83 (28) | 76 (24) | 65 (18) | 48 (9) | 35 (2) | 60 (16) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 13 (-11) | 19 (-7) | 29 (-2) | 41 (5) | 52 (11) | 63 (17) | 68 (20) | 66 (19) | 57 (14) | 45 (7) | 32 (0) | 20 (-7) | 42 (6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | -17 (-27) | -22 (-30) | -3 (-19) | 19 (-7) | 32 (0) | 44 (7) | 53 (12) | 44 (7) | 35 (2) | 22 (-6) | 8 (-13) | -18 (-28) | -22 (-30) |
| Precipitation inch (mm) | 1.28 (32.5) | 1.41 (35.8) | 2.59 (65.8) | 3.64 (92.5) | 4.44 (112.8) | 4.75 (120.6) | 2.99 (75.9) | 4.31 (109.5) | 2.90 (73.7) | 2.39 (60.7) | 2.47 (62.7) | 1.93 (49) | 2.93 (74.4) |
| Source: [14] | |||||||||||||
Davenport public schools serve nearly 17,000 students in the communities of Davenport, Blue Grass, Buffalo, and Walcott. The Davenport Community School District is the second largest school district in Iowa. [15] Davenport has three public high schools: Central, West, and North and one private high school: Assumption. There are six public intermediate schools: Smart, Sudlow, Walcott, Williams, Wood, and Young. There are 22 public elementary schools: Adams, Blue Grass, Buchanan, Children's Village at Buchanan, Hayes, Hoover, and West, Eisenhower, Fillmore, Garfield, Harrison, Hayes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lincoln, Madison, McKinley, Monroe, Truman, Walcott, Washington, and Wilson. The high schools are part of the Mississippi Athletic Conference for sports.
The city has 3 higher education schools Palmer Chiropractic College, Saint Ambrose University, and Kaplan University.
| Davenport Population by decade |
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| 1860 | 11,267 |
| 1870 | 20,038 |
| 1880 | 21,831 |
| 1890 | 26,872 |
| 1900 | 35,254 |
| 1910 | 43,028 |
| 1920 | 56,727 |
| 1930 | 60,751 |
| 1940 | 66,039 |
| 1950 | 74,549 |
| 1960 | 88,981 |
| 1970 | 98,469 |
| 1980 | 103,264 |
| 1990 | 95,333 |
| 2000 | 98,359 |
| 2006 | 99,514 (est.) |
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 98,359 people, 39,124 households, and 24,804 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,566.5 people per square mile (604.8/km²). There were 41,350 housing units at an average density of 658.5/sq mi (254.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.68% White, 9.24% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 2.00% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.32% from other races, and 2.36% from two or more races. 5.36% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 39,124 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,242, and the median income for a family was $45,944. Males had a median income of $34,153 versus $24,634 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,828. About 10.5% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.2% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.
Three interstate highways serve Davenport: Interstate 80, Interstate 280 and Interstate 74.
U.S. Highway 61, U.S. Highway 6 and U.S. Highway 67 also go through Davenport; U.S. 67 crosses over to Illinois via the Centennial Bridge. Davenport is connected to the Illinois side of the Quad Cities by a total of four bridges across the Mississippi River.
Other highways include Iowa Highway 22 (on the city's southwest side) and Iowa Highway 130, along Northwest Boulevard on Davenport's north edge.
For air travel, Davenport Municipal Airport – located adjacent to the city's northern city limits – serves smaller aircraft, while the Quad City International Airport across the river in Moline, Illinois is the closest commercial airport.
CitiBus is the local transit system.
Major railroads include the Iowa Interstate Railroad and the Iowa, Chicago & Eastern.
Two national U.S. recreation trails intersect in Davenport: the Mississippi River Trail and the American Discovery Trail.
- Further information: List of mayors of Davenport, Iowa
Davenport currently uses the mayor-council form of local government consisting of a mayor and a ten-person council, all duly elected officials. Nonpartisan elections are held in odd-numbered years.
Bix Fest is a three-day music festival with many traditional jazz bands held in tribute to internationally renowned jazz cornetist, pianist, composer, and Davenport native Bix Beiderbecke. Organized and produced by the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Society, 2007 saw its 35th consecutive festival.
Sturgis on the River - annual motorcycle festival
- Bix Beiderbecke - Jazz musician.
- Isabel Bloom - Artist.
- Lara Flynn Boyle - Actress.
- Samuel Cody - Aviation pioneer.
- Roger Craig - NFL football Pro Bowl running back for the San Francisco 49ers.
- Michael Nunn - Former middleweight boxing champion.
- Daniel David Palmer - inventor of chiropractic.
- See also: Quad Cities Landmarks
- Brady Street Stadium
- Centennial Bridge
- Credit Island
- Davenport Public Library
- Davenport Skybridge
- Figge Art Museum
- Great Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds
- Modern Woodmen Park, home of the Quad City River Bandits
- Mount Ida
- NorthPark Mall
- Palmer College of Chiropractic - The world's first chiropractic school
- Putnam Museum and IMAX Theater
- River Music Experience
- Sacred Heart Cathedral (Davenport)
- Saint Ambrose University
- Vander Veer Botanical Park
- ^ Iowa Data Center. Population Estimates and Rankings for Population, Numerical Change, and Percent Change for Iowa's Incorporated Places: 2000-2006. Retrieved on 2007-06-28.
- ^ a b QC Times December 19, 2007
- ^ http://www.geo.mtu.edu/department/classes/ge404/flood/day1/davenport/
- ^ http://70.168.205.112/davenport_ia/lpext.dll?f=templates&fn=site_main-j.htm&2 linked from official city site
- ^ http://www.figgeartmuseum.org/Information/FAQ.aspx
- ^ http://www.qcmemory.org/Default.aspx?PageId=228&nt=207&nt2=222
- ^ http://www.davenportone.com/City%20Livability%20Award.html
- ^ a b c Davenport History December 18, 2007
- ^ Colonel Davenport December 18, 20007
- ^ a b Davenport History December 18, 2007
- ^ a b Phebe Sudlow December 18, 2007
- ^ a b Davenport History December 18, 2007
- ^ a b c QC Times December 19, 2007
- ^ http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/allergies/wxclimatology/monthly/52804
- ^ http://www.davenportschools.org/schools.asp
- Homepage. City of Davenport, Iowa. Retrieved on December 17, 2005.
- City of Davenport
- QCOnline.com - Local information
- Quadcities.com - Local information
- QCTimes.com - Local Newspaper
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|---|---|
| Iowa counties | |
| Iowa cities and communities |
Davenport | Bettendorf | Blue Grass | Buffalo | Eldridge | Le Claire | Long Grove | Maysville | McCausland | New Liberty | Panorama Park | Park View | Pleasant Valley Township | Princeton | Riverdale | |
| Illinois counties | |
| Illinois cities |
Rock Island | Moline | East Moline | Andalusia | Carbon Cliff | Coal Valley | Colona | Geneseo | Hampton | Milan | Port Byron | Rapids City | Silvis | |
| Rivers |
Rock | Mississippi | Wapsipinicon | |
| Sports |
Bix 7 | i wireless Center | John Deere Classic | Mississippi Athletic Conference | Modern Woodmen Park | Quad City Flames | Quad Cities River Bandits | Quad Cities Riverhawks | Quad City Silverbacks | Quad City Steamwheelers | TPC at Deere Run | |
| Colleges |
Augustana College | Black Hawk College | Hamilton Technical College | Kaplan University | Palmer College of Chiropractic | Saint Ambrose University | Scott Community College | Western Illinois University | |
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Scott County, Iowa |
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|---|---|---|
| County seat: Davenport | ||
| Cities |
Bettendorf | Blue Grass | Buffalo | Davenport | Dixon | Donahue | Eldridge | Le Claire | Long Grove | Maysville | McCausland | New Liberty | Panorama Park | Princeton | Riverdale | Walcott |
 |
| CDP | ||