Davenport, Iowa

Davenport, Iowa
Flag of Davenport, Iowa
Official seal of Davenport, Iowa
Nickname: 
Iowa's Front Porch[1]
Motto: 
Working together to serve you
Located on the center south border of a county that is on southern side of the hump on the eastern border of Iowa.
Location of Davenport in Scott County (left) and location of Scott County in the State of Iowa
Davenport is located in Iowa
Davenport
Davenport
Location in the United States
Davenport is located in the United States
Davenport
Davenport
Davenport (the United States)
Davenport is located in North America
Davenport
Davenport
Davenport (North America)
Coordinates: 41°32′35″N 90°35′27″W / 41.54306°N 90.59083°W / 41.54306; -90.59083
CountryUnited States
StateIowa
CountyScott
SettledMay 14, 1836
IncorporatedJanuary 25, 1839
Named forGeorge Davenport
Government
 • TypeMayor–council
 • MayorMike Matson
Area
 • City65.92 sq mi (170.73 km2)
 • Land63.80 sq mi (165.23 km2)
 • Water2.12 sq mi (5.50 km2)
Elevation
580 ft (180 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • City101,724
 • Rank3rd in Iowa
(US: 296th)
 • Density1,594.55/sq mi (615.65/km2)
 • Urban
285,211 (US: 142nd)[3]
 • Urban density2,114.9/sq mi (816.6/km2)
 • Metro
384,324 (US: 147th)
 • CSA
474,019 (US: 90th)
DemonymDavenporter
Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
52801–52809
Area code563
FIPS code19-19000
GNIS feature ID0455799
Websitewww.davenportiowa.com

Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a combined statistical area population of 474,019, ranking as the 147th-largest MSA and 91st-largest CSA in the nation.[4][5] According to the 2020 census, the city had a population of 101,724, making it Iowa's third-most populous city after Des Moines and Cedar Rapids.[6] Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836, by Antoine Le Claire and named for his friend George Davenport.

From 1860 until 1980, Davenport enjoyed a long period of industrial and population growth, averaging yearly increases of about 760 people.[7] Over that period, Davenport industries were diverse, from manufacturing locomotives,[8] a major meat-packing plant,[9] a Caterpillar loader plant,[10] a historic movie-projector plant, to car and truck wheel manufacture.[11] These and other industries left, and since 1980, population growth has been flat, hovering around 100,000 over the past 40 years.[12]

The city is prone to frequent flooding due to its location on the Mississippi River and the city's resistance to building a modern levee, unlike its sister cities. Davenport's flood wall dates from the 1919,[13] while Rock Island's higher flood wall dates from 1970[14] and Bettendorf's from the 1980s. The latter two protected their respective downtowns during the 2019 flood[15] The history and historical costs of proposed levee projects were summarized in 2023 by the local paper after Davenport received national media attention for the 2019 flood.[16]

There are two main universities: St. Ambrose University and Palmer College of Chiropractic, where the first chiropractic adjustment took place. Several annual music festivals take place in Davenport, including the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, the Mississippi Valley Fair, and the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival. An internationally known 7-mile (11 km) foot race, called the Bix 7, is run during the festival. The city has a Class A minor-league baseball team, the Quad Cities River Bandits. Davenport has 50 plus parks and facilities, as well as more than 20 miles (32 km) of recreational paths for biking or walking.

Three interstates (80, 74 and 280) and two major United States Highways serve the city. Davenport has seen steady population growth since its incorporation. National economic difficulties in the 1980s resulted in job and population losses. Notable people from the city have included jazz legend Bix Beiderbecke, Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Susan Glaspell, former National Football League running back Roger Craig, UFC Welterweight Champion Pat Miletich, IBF Middleweight and WBA Super Middleweight boxing champion Michael Nunn, and former two-time WWE Champion and WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins.

  1. ^ "City of Davenport: Our Vision 2021". Cityofdavenportiowa.com. May 15, 2007. Archived from the original on July 1, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  2. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  3. ^ United States Census Bureau (December 29, 2022). "2020 Census Qualifying Urban Areas and Final Criteria Clarifications". Federal Register. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  4. ^ List of Combined Statistical Areas
  5. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2010 to July 1". 2011 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. June 2012. Archived from the original (CSV) on April 27, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2020-census-1919000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Davenport, Iowa Population 2023". worldpopulationreview.com. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  8. ^ "History of Davenport and Scott Co". iagenweb.org. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  9. ^ "Facebook". Retrieved December 5, 2023 – via Facebook.
  10. ^ "Three Caterpillar tractor plants in Illinois and Iowa are... – UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  11. ^ "French and Hecht, Inc". umvphotoarchive.org. Retrieved December 5, 2023.[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ "Davenport, Iowa Population 2023". worldpopulationreview.com. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  13. ^ Harrison, Hugh (1919). Father of the Davenport Levee. Davenport IA: Purcell Printing Company. pp. 15–23.
  14. ^ "Which flood prompted Rock Island to build its levee? | River Action, Inc". riveraction.org. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  15. ^ David, Rebecca (March 27, 2019). "Levees in the QCA in good standing for flooding". kwqc.com. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  16. ^ Watson, Sarah (April 30, 2023). "So, why doesn't Davenport have a permanent flood wall?". The Quad-City Times. Retrieved December 5, 2023.

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