Davenport (pop. 101,724; met. area pop. 384,324) is the third largest city in Iowa. Only Des Moines and Cedar Rapids have more people. Davenport lies on the Mississippi River in the eastern part of the state. It is the largest city in a metropolitan area commonly called the Quad-Cities. The name Quad-Cities originally referred to what were then the four largest cities of the area—Davenport and the Illinois cities of Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline. As other area cities grew and the population of Bettendorf, Iowa, exceeded that of East Moline, the term came to be used for the entire area. The Quad-Cities is a manufacturing and transportation center surrounded by rich farmland.
Downtown Davenport extends along the riverbank. Large Victorian houses add grace to Davenport’s tree-lined streets. The area’s main products include aluminum, cement, construction and farm equipment, and processed meats. St. Ambrose University and Palmer College of Chiropractic are in the city.
Until 1832, the site of Davenport was part of an area controlled by the Indian leader Black Hawk. United States Army troops defeated Black Hawk in the Black Hawk War that year. Whites then gained control of the Davenport area. Antoine LeClaire, a part-Indian and part-white interpreter, helped found the city. He named it for his friend George Davenport, an English trader. In 1856, the first bridge across the Mississippi River was built at Davenport by the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad.
Nahant Marsh, a formerly polluted site southwest of downtown Davenport, became a haven for waterfowl and other wildlife following the removal of toxic materials from its soils in the 1990’s and early 2000’s. Also in the 2000’s, the city began work on projects to revitalize its riverfront area. These projects included the Figge Art Museum and the Skybridge, an elevated pedestrian bridge and viewing platform that links the riverfront with the central business district. Both opened in 2005.
Davenport has a mayor-council form of government. It is the seat of Scott County.
