Davenport | |
---|---|
File:Davenport skyline.jpg | |
Country | United States |
State | Iowa |
County | Scott County |
Incorporated | 1839 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Ed Winborn |
Elevation | 591 ft (180 m) |
Population (2005) | |
• City | 98,845 |
• Metro | 376,019 |
Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (CDT) |
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 2005 estimate tells that the city had grown slightly to 98,845. The city is part of the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois. Davenport is the home of Saint Ambrose University. Palmer College of Chiropractic, the birthplace of chiropractic medicine and wellness technique is also located in Davenport. Davenport is the county seat of Scott County.
Davenport often makes national headlines when the Mississippi River floods. It is the only city over 20,000 people bordering the Mississippi that has no permanent floodwall or levee. 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. 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. Two examples of buildings that are elevated or floodproofed in Davenport are John O'Donnell Stadium and the Figge Art Museum.
Several well-known annual 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.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport is based in Davenport. This diocese covers the southeast quarter of the state of Iowa. The current Bishop of the Diocese is Bishop Martin John Amos. Bishop Emeritus is William Edwin Franklin. The Cathedral parish for this Diocese is Sacred Heart Cathedral. St. Ambrose University, established in 1882, is affiliated with the diocese. The current president is Dr. Edward Rogalski.
History
Davenport was established in 1839, and named after the town's first permanent resident, and prominent businessman, Colonel George Davenport. 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 north western tip of Arsenal Island with the purpose of monitoring fur trade traffic in the area, and keeping the peace between local Native American tribes. The title of 'Colonel' was actually an honorary title bestowed upon him by the army for his many services. Colonel Davenport was a man of many trades. He was a riverboat pilot, who guided ships through the Rock Island Rapids. 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 4th, 1845, Colonel Davenport was murdered in his home by a gang of outlaws known as the Prairie Bandits.
The first railroad bridge built across the Mississippi River connected Davenport and Rock Island, IL in 1856, built by the Rock Island Railroad. Steamboaters saw nationwide railroads as a threat to their business. On May 6, 1856, just weeks after it was completed, an angry 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.
A few decades earlier, Keokuk and General Winfield Scott signed a treaty to end the Black Hawk War in 1832 on the same spot the railroad bridge would later be built. The treaty resulted in the United States gaining 6 million acres (24,000 km²) of land.
The first female mayor in the state of Iowa, Kathryn Kirschbaum, was elected in Davenport in 1972.
On November 28, 1986, actor Cary Grant suffered a major stroke while performing at Davenport's Adler Theater. He died at 11:22 p.m. while admitted to St. Luke's Hospital (now the east campus of Genesis Hospital).
Davenport made national headlines on August 4, 2004, when both of the main candidates in the 2004 Presidential election held events there. Both John Kerry and George W. Bush made appearances, and the events for both men were only a few city blocks away from each other.
Geography
Davenport is located at 41°32′35″N 90°35′27″W / 41.54306°N 90.59083°WInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (41.542982, -90.590745)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 168.2 km² (64.9 mi²). 162.6 km² (62.8 mi²) of it is land and 5.6 km² (2.2 mi²) 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 going back to the days when the indigenous population (Sauk and Fox tribes) lived in nearby Saukenuk. To this day no funnel cloud has touched within the city's boundaries.
The influence of the native Sauk and Fox tribes in the Upper Mississippi region, led British emigree George Davenport, in 1805, to establish a home and trading post on Rock Island (Now the US Army Rock Island Arsenal). The Davenport trading post atrracted many entrepreneurs, including part-Native American Antoine Le Claire, who founded a settlement at the bluffs across from "Colonel" Davenport's Trading Post. From a small village of traders, the town became known for transporting cargo up the famous Rock Island Rapids, and became a rough and tumble European community, with heavy German and Flemish settlement late in the 19th Century.
Davenport was located on the longest stretch of the Mississippi river with rapids. At this point, the river also runs east to west. Anyone who has grown up elsewhere along the river is mildly surprised to see the sun rise and set along its path. Part of the native blessing of the Sauk and Fox is that when the "Father of Waters," the spirit of the Mississippi, flowed south between this portion of Iowa and Illinois, he turned to look with wonder at the great beauty of the valley. Thus, the "nose" of the map of Iowa was created, with Davenport its leading town.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 98,359 people, 39,124 households, and 24,804 families residing in the city. The population density was 604.8/km² (1,566.5/mi²). There were 41,350 housing units at an average density of 254.3/km² (658.5/mi²). 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.
Transportation
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.
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.
Law and government
Davenport currently uses the mayor-council form of local government (when this format was adopted is not clear at present) consisting of a mayor and a ten-person council, all duly elected officials. Elections are non-partisan. A list of mayors of Davenport has been compiled, spanning the period 1839 to the present.
Events and Festivals
Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival - a 3 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, 2006 saw it's 34th consecutive festival.
Sturgis on the River - annual motorcycle festival
Mississippi Valley Blues Festival
River Roots Live This year River Roots Live will be September 22-23, 2006 featuring: The Black Crows, Susan Tedeschi, Martin Sexton, Bo Ramsey and many more. FH
Notable people
- Patricia White Barry - Actress.
- 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.
- Ricky Davis - NBA basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
- Eugene Ely - Aviation pioneer.
- Anne Marie Howard - actress and spokeswoman for Ditech.com
- Susan Glaspell - Author and playwright (Trifles). Founder of Provincetown Players
- James Grant - Lawyer and business leader.
- Elmer Layden - Former commissioner of the NFL and University of Notre Dame football coach.
- Johnny Lujack - Football quarterback for Notre Dame and the NFL Chicago Bears, Heisman Trophy winner in 1947.
- Sue Lyon - Actress.
- Pat Miletich - Former champion of Ultimate Fighting Championship, and founder of Miletich Fighting Systems.
- Michael Nunn - Former middleweight boxing champion.
- Daniel David Palmer - inventor of chiropractic.
- Mary Beth Peil - Actress and opera singer.
- Nat Pendleton - Olympic wrestler and actor.
- Mark Salter - Author and Chief of Staff to Senator John McCain
- Jim Skinner - CEO of McDonald's Corporation.
- Hynden Walch - American voice actress (Stanley, Teen Titans)
- Paul Ziffren - Prominent entertainment lawyer with Los Angeles based firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.
Matt Brumfield, Davenport resident was in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most broken bones at one time. He was recently beaten out by an African man named Joe Hoeksema.
Points of interest
- Assumption High School (Davenport, Iowa)
- Brady Street Stadium
- Centennial Bridge
- Credit Island
- Davenport Central High School
- Davenport Public Library
- Davenport Skybridge
- Davenport West High School
- Figge Art Museum
- Great Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds
- John O'Donnell Stadium, home of the Swing of the Quad Cities
- Northpark Mall
- Putnam Museum and IMAX Theater
- River Music Experience
- Sacred Heart Cathedral (Davenport)
- Saint Ambrose University
- Stampe Lilac Garden - established and maintained by Mr. and Mrs. Wilson Stampe, later named in their honor. It contains about 250 blooming lilac bushes, crab apples, and 30,000 spring-blooming bulbs (narcissus, daffodils, crocus, hyacinths, and tulips). Located at Duck Creek Park.
- Vander Veer Botanical Park
References
- "Homepage". City of Davenport, Iowa. Retrieved December 17.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=
ignored (|access-date=
suggested) (help)
External links
- City of Davenport
- Davenport Gold Coast - Historic District of homes built by Davenport's original German residents.
- Scott Community College
- QCTimes.com - Local Newspaper
- Davenport Iowa News News Reference
- Davenport reference The Columbia Gazetteer of North America 2000
Template:Geolinks-US-cityscale
- QCAMegaHunter
- Quad Cities Alive - Local Restaurant/Bar Reviews