MOLINE, ILLINOIS

'Moline' is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. Moline's population is 43,768, as of the 2000 census.
Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring Rock Island and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. The corporate headquarters of Deere & Company and the Quad City International Airport are located in Moline, as well as the Quad Cities campus of Western Illinois University. Moline is a retail hub for the Illinois Quad Cities, as Southpark Mall and numerous big box stores are located in the city. In the mid 1990s, a project known as John Deere Commons led to the revitalization of Moline's central business district.

Contents

History

Geography

Climate

Location

Major Interstate Highways

Neighborhoods

Moline Parks and Recreation

Schools

High Schools

Middle Schools

Elementary Schools

'Sports'

Demographics

Media

External links

History

According to the Rock Island County Historical Society, the first established inhabitants of Moline are thought to be the Sac Fox Indians. This tribe saw the land between the Rock and Mississippi Rivers as ideal for farming and fishing. Their village was called Saukunuk, and its position on the bluffs overlooking the river would prove to be a valuable lookout point. By the early 1800s, this once peaceful area would become one of war, caused by disputes between white settlers and the Sac Fox Tribe. In 1832 Chief Black Hawk declared war on the United States, initiating the Black Hawk War. When the war ended later that year, Black Hawk and his people were forced to leave the area and go north, paving the way for more settlers to enter the Mississippi Valley.
Moline's first dam, built in 1841 by David B. Sears, was made of wood and connected Sylvan Slough and Arsenal Island. Water power generated by this dam attracted many mills and entrepreneurs, including John Deere, who moved his steel plow company to Moline in 1848. This same year, Moline was officially incorporated as a city. The city's name, suggested by a city surveyor, P.H. Olgilvie, is French for ''city of mills''.
Along with Deere and Co., many other Moline-based companies would soon be known around the country for their products. These include Moline Wagon Company, Dimock, Gould, and Co., Velie Carriage, Moline Pipe Organ, and Moline Furniture Works, just to name a few.
Along with these factories came immigrants from France, Germany, Sweden, and Belgium. The rich culture of Moline is still evident today with events such as the Greek Fest, held every summer at the John Deere Commons, rolle bolle tournaments at Stephen's Park, and "Viva! Quad~Cities".
What started as a small mill town has grown into a city of over 43,000 people in a metropolitan area of 400,000.

Geography

Moline is located at (41.490966, -90.502006).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 41.0 km² (15.8 mi²). 40.4 km² (15.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (1.39%) is water.
Moline is situated on a peninsula formed by the confluence of the Mississippi River and the Rock River.
The flood plain along the Mississippi to the north quickly rises up the bluff to a broad highland before dropping back down to the Rock river flood plain to the south.
The highland is cut across by many deep ravines that break the city up into many natural neighborhoods.

Climate

Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Rec High °F	69	71	88	93	104	104	105	106	100	93	80	71
Norm High °F	29.8	35.6	48.3	61.7	73.3	82.7	86.1	83.9	76.5	64.4	48.0	34.5
Norm Low °F	12.3	18.2	29.0	39.3	50.0	59.7	64.5	62.4	53.4	41.6	30.1	18.3
Rec Low °F	-27	-28	-19	7	25	39	46	40	24	16	-9	-24
Precip (in)	1.58	1.51	2.92	3.82	4.25	4.63	4.03	4.41	3.16	2.80	2.73	2.20
''Source: USTravelWeather.com [1]''

Location

The City of Moline is located in the heart of the Midwest, nestled between the banks of the Mississippi and Rock River in Rock Island County, Illinois. Moline is located approximately 165 miles west of Chicago, approximately 164 miles north-west of Springfield, IL, approximately 61 miles east of Iowa City, Iowa, and midway between Minneapolis to the north and St. Louis to the South. 37.4 million people reside within a 300-mile radius of Moline, which comprises almost 13% of the nation’s population. Moline and its neighbors help form the largest urban concentration between St. Louis and Minneapolis along the Mississippi River.

Major Interstate Highways

Moline is served by U.S. Interstate Highway 80 for East-West bound transit and is near the beginning of U.S. Interstate 74 for North-South bound transit. Interstate 88 also begins here, serving as a direct route from the Quad Cities to Downtown Chicago. Interstate 280 circles the area.

Neighborhoods

Through the Neighborhood Partnership Program, the City of Moline has nine established neighborhood associations, and is working diligently to form more. These active neighborhood associations not only benefit the neighborhoods, but the city as well. The associations assist their residents by organizing neighborhood clean up days, participating in the crime watch program, planning social activities and by doing much more. Take a drive through our neighborhoods - you’ll be glad you did.
'Downtown Moline Centre:' Downtown Moline Centre is the historic area bounded approximately by 12th and 34th Streets and the Mississippi River and 6th Avenue. In the past year, downtown Moline Centre welcomed a record 13 new businesses and saw completion of the Bass Street Landing. Bass Street Landing brought an outdoor entertainment venue to the area, which not only is anchored by Stoney Creek Inn and Conference Center, but also Bass Street Chop House, a new Baker’s Street smoke shop and other retail and office tenants. Meanwhile, some businesses have managed to stay put in Moline Centre, including Temple's Sporting Goods, which has been in the same building for almost 80 years, and Lagomarcino's, a nearly century-old ice cream parlor and confectionery which has been open since 1908. Each year nearly 230,000 people travel to see the world's largest agricultural exhibit at the John Deere Pavillion, and hundreds of thousands travel to i wireless Center for shows and concerts. Some recent developements in this renewed downtown area include an $80,000 streetscaping plan, a newly built $6 million parking deck, and state of the art $12 million Moline Police Headquarters. Plans are also underway for the new Western Illinois Universitie's Quad~Cities Campus, which projects an enrollment of 5,000 students, to be built on fifteen acres of riverfront land. More than ever, Downtown Moline Centre is attracting more people and demonstrating that Moline is a city of great progress.
'Floreciente:' This neighborhood, extending from the end of Downtown at around 12th Street west to 1st Street and Rock Island, is the primary entry point for the city's increasing Latino population. The area was traditionally one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, with many of the houses being well into their second century of life. Also, there are scattered restaurants and townhouses in the eastern part along with several wall murals expressing the cultural art of this neighborhood.
'Olde Towne:' Olde Towne is bounded on the west along 15 Street Place and 16 Street, from the bluff of the Mississippi River to the hill that leans toward the Rock River. Olde Towne was the traditional home of Moline's large Belgian population. According to the Belgian Culture Center, Moline once had the largest Belgian population in our nation and now has the second largest. The area is filled with a variety of rental and owner occupied homes and is also home to a vibrant retail center. The Belgian Village, famous for the Vande Reuben is a favorite Moline restaurant and the DeRoo Funeral Home has been family owned and operated for two generations. Many Moliners make a tradition of going to waffles at the Belgian Culture Center every first Saturday of the month. The numerous small businesses offering a wide range of products and services located in this neighborhood demonstrate that hometown shopping is alive and well.
'Uptown:' East of Olde Towne is a very similar neighborhood, though not traditionally as Belgian but rather German and Irish, called Uptown. 15th Street emerges coming south up the hill from Downtown and then hits 16th Avenue and angles towards 16th Street, merging with it at 19th Avenue. This thoroughfare contains many successful businesses such as; Holst-Kakert Upholstery, K'nees Florist, and Wallace Music Co. The homes in the neighborhood are also quite eclectic. Along 12th Street, they are very similar to the old homes of Olde Towne, but as one gets to 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th Streets, they become very large and have some characteristics reminiscent of Prairie School and Victorian architecture.
'Overlook:'
This neighborhood is bounded on the north by 7th Avenue and on the south by 12th Avenue from 10th Street to 16th Street. Named after the home of Charles Deere, Overlook sits on the bluff above Moline Centre. This neighborhood boasts a wide range of historically significant homes that have been maintained or restored to their original detail by their owners. Several of the neighborhood’s homes have been passed on from generation to generation, and many have been designated as local landmarks, such as the Butterworth Mansion and Deere-Wiman House. These two homes and their gorgeous grounds are open to the public year-round. The neighborhood is also home to One Moline Place, a new development featuring luxury single-family homes, townhomes, and condominiums. The area includes two parks - Velie and Butterworth. Velie park features breathtaking views of the downtown area as far as Riverside Cemetery. The Overlook Historic Neighborhood Association has conducted numerous activities to promote its neighborhood, including “Art in the Park,” an annual June art festival held in Velie Park featuring works from local artists, as well as a walking tour of some of Overlook’s beautiful historic homes. The pride of ownership in these homes is evident by the attention to detail apparent in every room. The OHNA works actively to promote the neighborhood’s history and to develop proactive approaches toward improving the quality of the neighborhood. Beautiful historic homes, quality schools, respectful neighbors, and an energetic neighborhood association have made Overlook a wonderful place to visit and live.
'Karsten's Park:' This neighborhood is centered around the city park with the same name between 5th and 6th Streets and 22nd and 23rd Avenues. 7th Street is the main thoroughfare of this neighborhood. A neighborhood of many ethnicities, its homes become more upscale and less working class, but this area is still predominantly middle class. Around 2nd Street are located newer homes (1960s and 1970s era), but generally the houses date from the 1920s-1940s.
'Wharton:' Wharton is centered at the busy intersection of 16th Street and 23rd Avenue (known now as the Avenue of the Cities, though the locals mostly still refer to it as 23rd Avenue). Wharton Field House gives the neighborhood it name, and the field house (built in 1928 and named for P. T. Wharton, the then president of the Moline School Board) and the adjacent Browning Field (named after John T. Browning, who made a death-bed change in his will in 1910 to leave the land to the city of Moline for use as an athletic field) host many events, such as Moline Maroons basketball, football, and soccer games as well as track events. Furthermore, Wharton Field House used to host the Quad City Thunder CBA Basketball before the Mark of the Quad Cities (now the i wireless Center) opened. The neighborhood itself on the west bordering Morgan Park and Karsten's Park is one of the nicest older neighborhoods in the city, containing many large two and three story brick Georgian homes. The eastern part of the neighborhood, across 16th Street, much like Uptown to the north is noticeably less wealthy than the western part, although it is still middle class and lower middle class. 16th Street becomes very commercial at this point going south with such local businesses as Hungry Hobo, Whitey's Ice Cream, Rudy's Tacos, Teskes, and Happy Joes, the neighborhood pizza parlor.
'Hamilton Heights:' The neighborhood south of Karsten's Park is unofficially known as Hamilton Heights after the local elementary school in the area. Houses here mostly were built in the 1940s and 1950s and many more are made out of brick, especially along 7th Street. This is a completely residential neighborhood with little business aside from Katy's Market which is the most obvious token of the city's German heritage selling German sausages and other German groceries.
'Wildwood:' Right before 7th Street goes down the hill into the Rock River Valley, it comes across the neighborhood of Wildwood with its winding named streets and large newer homew. At the time it was built, the 1970s and 1980s, the neighborhood was the wealthiest section of the city, although it has been eclipsed by other neighborhoods on the city's east side. The old Velie Mansion, now Quad City Bank and Trust, built when it was nothing but merely forest, is on the fringe of the neighborhood.
'Prospect Park:' This is a neighborhood designated by the city along 16th Street south of the Wharton neighborhood. Much like the other 16th Street neighborhoods, the side west of 16th is significantly more upscale than those east of 16th; however, the far west and east fringes both contain newer large houses built in the 1970s-1990s. 16th Street stays a very important thoroughfare, housing Trevor's, WQAD, and the actual park itself, one of the largest ones in the city. Behind the park are many older large homes. It's a very eclectic neighborhood filled with various classes and ethnicities. The neighborhood is also home to Quad City Music Guild, which offers wonderful musicals year-round.
'Park Hill:' Park Hill is bounded by 4th Avenue in the north to 12th Avenue in the south from 19th to 27th Street. This neighborhood group has been in existence for quite a while but renewed its efforts in the Spring of 2003. This neighborhood boasts a terrific view of the mighty Mississippi River from its bluffs. The homes in this neighborhood, while modest in some respects, are historically significant and show the pride of ownership of its residents. Park Hill is one of Moline's oldest neighborhoods, with many of its homes built for the workers of John Deere. Several neighborhood homes were built between 1900's - 1930's, and were owned by prominent business leaders. Riverside Park, which gives the neighborhood its name, contains several baseball fields, a pond, two cemeteries, and the Riverside Aquatic Center which was newly renovated from a traditional pool into a 10 foot to 0 depth pool with water slides and fountains.
'Forest Hill:' This neighborhood, centered along 27th Street between 12th and 23rd Avenues, is one of the many solely residential neighborhoods which predominate the east side of town. Because that side is newer, 23rd Avenue emerged as the only commercial drag as people could drive by the time it was developed. However, Forest Hill, much like Wharton, contains very nice older homes, unusual for the east side of town. In Forest Hill, these homes tend to be much larger, though, making it one of the most desirable areas in the city to live.
'Highland:' Along 23rd Avenue, the Highland neighborhood is the first neighborhood coming from the west side into the east. It was mostly built during the Great Depression. Consequently, the houses here are not as nice as the older ones in Forest Hill to the north or the newer ones in Villa Park to the south. But the business corridor of 23rd Avenue keeps people in the area, and this area is really the center of small business in Moline (Downtown has mostly office buildings and the John Deere Road Corridor has mostly the big corporate chains). Highland is the home of Hafner's Bar, which is a classier bar with a loyal following, El Pavito, among many other smaller stores that gives Highland a "main street" look.
'Villa Park / Green Acres:' Together, these two miniature neighborhoods, which were built during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, compromise another solely residential neighborhood on the east side. This neighborhood was one that was dramatically altered during the 1960s when several blocks as well as the old Oakwood Country Club were ripped out to construct I-74. This left part of the neighborhood across the interstate on the west side. Sometimes this area is known as Crestwood, as it is no longer connected in any way to Villa Park proper. In Villa Park, the houses are mostly one and a half or two story brick homes and are a bit older than those in Green Acres, which has mostly larger two story homes of various styles. Also, Green Acres has winding streets and looks somewhat like a slightly older and less wealthy version of Wildwood or any typical 1970s suburb.
'Molette:' After World War II the influx of vets from the war made it necessary for huge swaths of land to be turned into small prefabricated homes. Molette was one of those neighborhoods. The area consists of winding streets that run between 34th and 41st Streets and 12th and 23rd Avenues, each with small two bedroom ranches, many of which have had porches and extra rooms add on to them. Despite the cheap nature of the houses, the neighborhood is well taken care of, and this keeps the neighborhood popular among younger families. Proximity to the local elementary, middle, and high schools help this as well.
'Rockview Estates:' This neighborhood west of 41st Street and between John Deere Road and Moline Senior High School is quite odd for neighborhoods in Moline. Most of the houses in this neighborhood are actually duplexes and more people rent than in most neighborhoods. Again, there are no commercial institutions in the area and the new Moline Public Library is on 41st Street. The neighborhood sets on the ridges above the Rock River Valley and some apartment buildings take advantage of this location, although recent development along the John Deere Corridor, including Walmart and Lowe's has left the natural beauty of the Rock River wetlands largely destroyed.
'Homewood:' Much like Wildwood, this neighborhood spirals and twists around itself along the hill spreading into the Rock River Valley. It is bisected by 53rd Street but extends from 41st to 60th Streets south of 34th Avenue. Considered one of the richer sections of Moline, this neighborhood has high land values and the best school in the city. The houses were mostly built in the 1970s and 1980s and are of various styles. Similar to Rockview Estates, this neighborhood overlooks the Rock River valley and the Heritage neighborhood.
'Heritage:' Heritage is the most wealthy of the Rock River neighborhoods, and it is the only one that still has its elementary school. The neighborhood lies beyond the largely commercial sections of John Deere Road and lies south of the intersection of that road and 53rd Street. Furthermore, the neighborhood was better developed than others along the river keeping the neighborhood dry when others flood. Heritage is quite tight knit as Moline neighborhoods go.

Moline Parks and Recreation

Take Time To Play! The Moline Park & Recreation Department works hard to provide community enjoyment. With over 20 parks, recreational facilities, and cemeteries, the activities available are endless! From picnics to sports, the Park Department takes pride in providing clean, well-maintained landscapes and facilities for every event. In addition, the Moline Activity Center offers programs and activities for retired and semi-retired adults. Detailed information on park / facility amenities and hours is available on the Department’s web pages. Individuals or groups also interested in improving and enhancing Moline parks can apply to “adopt a park” through the Adopt-a-Park program.
'The Following is a Complete List of Moline Parks and Recreational Facilities'
:Activity Center
:Ben Butterworth Parkway
:Browning Park
:Butterworth Park
:Coolidge Teen Center
:East End Park
:Garden Center
:Green Valley Park
:Jefferson Park
:Karstens Park
:Kiwanis Park
:McCandless Park
:Meersman Park
:Millennium Park
:Optimist Park
:Pattie Southhall Wiman Park
:Peterson Park
:Prospect Park
:Riverside Aquatic Center
:Riverside Park
:Stephens Park
:Sylvan Island
:Velie Park

Schools

High Schools

★ Moline High School

Middle Schools

★ John Deere Junior High School

★ Wilson Middle School

★ Seton Catholic Middle School

Elementary Schools

★ Ericsson Elementary School

★ Lincoln-Irving Elementary School

★ Hamilton Elementary School

★ Willard Elementary School

★ Garfield Elementary School

★ Horace Mann Elementary School

★ Logan Elementary School

★ Washington Elementary School

★ Roosevelt Elementary School

★ Franklin Elementary School

★ Jane Addams Elementary School

★ Butterworth Elementary School

★ Bicentennial Elementary School

★ Seton Catholic School

'Sports'

Moline was the original home of the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, which evolved into what is currently the Atlanta Hawks and is currently home to the Quad City Steamwheelers
, an arena football team, and theQuad City Flames, a hockey team. Both play in i wireless Center

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 43,768 people, 18,492 households, and 11,594 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,083.3/km² (2,805.7/mi²). There were 19,487 housing units at an average density of 482.3/km² (1,249.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.38% White, 3.09% African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.39% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 5.08% from other races, and 1.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.91% of the population.
There were 18,492 households out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $39,363, and the median income for a family was $48,207. Males had a median income of $36,586 versus $24,711 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,557. About 7.1% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.

Media

The Quad Cities has numerous media outlets, including dozens of radio stations, local affiliates of FOX, NBC, ABC, and CBS, and three newspapers. The Moline Daily Dispatch had been the traditional paper of the city as well as Coal Valley, East Moline, and local points east of that. Now The Dispatch is merged with the Rock Island Argus, and both papers carry the same coverage. Furthermore, the Quad City Times, formerly the Davenport Times-Democrat, has quite a following with its Illinois Edition of that paper. Of the local television stations, the ABC affiliate, WQAD, makes its home in the Prospect Park neighborhood and actually sits adjacent to the park itself.

External links

★ City of Moline

★ QCOnline - Local Newspaper

★ QCAMegaHunter

★ Historic Homes from late 19th century

★ Whitey's Ice Cream