Approximately halfway between Chicago and Des Moines, the Quad Cities, Illinois area is located along the Mississippi River and represents some of the best that the Midwest has to offer. Known for its historic homes, endless entertainment, and impactful employers, the Quad Cities, Illinois area (which includes Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline) is the perfect place to find the home you’ve been looking for. Whether you’re in search of the perfect weekend activity for your family or a delicious Friday night dinner (with drinks to match), you’ll find it within a 15-minute drive in the Illinois Quad Cities.
This supportive community offers up plenty of employment, education, and housing options, as well as a variety of activities and outdoor recreation opportunities. In fact, the Quad Cities, Illinois area has so many great options it often catches visitors and newcomers to the area off guard!
The Illinois Quad Cities has a total of 125,000 residents. Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline together comprise 80% of the population in the Illinois Quad Cities community with over 100,000 people living in the three “Quad City” towns combined.
The Broadway District in Rock Island boasts renovated homes within walking distance of an exciting nightlife. Moline is the second-largest city in The Quad Cities and offers a more suburban feel with a wide variety of homes to choose from, and East Moline is a budding new metro that offices small-town charm within close proximity to city living.
When it comes to schools, The Quad Cities offers learning opportunities at all education levels, including elementary & secondary schools, colleges & universities, community colleges, and specialty schools. Augustana College is rooted in the liberal arts and sciences and has a Lutheran expression of the Christian faith. It’s a college committed to offering a challenging education that develops qualities of mind, spirit, and body necessary for a rewarding life of leadership and service in a diverse and changing world. The 115-acre wooded campus is now located in Rock Island, on the Mississippi River.
Each city within the Quad Cities, Illinois area has its own unique personality—from civic retail hubs to family-friendly vibes and lively entertainment. In fact, the Rock Island Illinois Horseshack has become synonymous with the biggest names in independent music.
Check out this video from The Quad Cities to get a better understanding of the community and its events.
The Illinois Quad Cities are surrounded by historical areas and miles of bike paths. There are plenty of things for the family (as well as young professionals) to do in the region, particularly when it comes to outdoor recreation. Paths, parks, and playgrounds are plentiful and the Mighty Mississippi offers up the perfect backdrop for it all.
Summer
The Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park provides 155 miles of hiking/biking fun from the Illinois River to the Rock River, with the feeder canal path to Rock Falls. Segments of the trails are open to horseback riding and snowmobiling in season. The path leads to a six-mile section in Milan within Camden Park. Ben Butterworth Parkway, located in Moline, and Schweibert Park, located in Downtown Rock Island, are connected by a river-front bike path and offer fun for the entire family.
Fall
Cozy up with a book and your favorite sweater. Multiple cities within the Illinois Quad Cities offer their own library branch, including the multiple Rock Island branches, the multiple Moline branches, the East Moline branch, the Robert J. Jones Public Library in Coal Valley, and many more. The Illinois Quad Cities are part of the RiverShare Libraries, where your library card grants you access to books from multiple branches within multiple cities. Can’t find the book you need in Rock Island, but it’s at an Iowa branch? Reserve it online and pick it up at your desired location! Don’t forget to take a brisk walk outside every once in a while, either. Brilliant red, orange, and gold leaves line the banks of the Mississippi River every year and bring people from all over the region to witness it.
Spring
The Quad Cities, Illinois area is home to the Cubs, White Sox, Bulls, Bears, and Blackhawks (and are reason enough to move to Illinois!). Add in top-notch restaurants, the Shawnee National Forest, the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, and Fox River Valley (which includes a 40-mile bike trail), and Spring in the Illinois QC is one of the best times to visit.
Winter
If you love to be outside when it’s snowing, the Illinois Quad Cities area offers cross-country, skiing, snowshoeing, and even fat tire biking! There are tons of hiking trails scattered throughout the region like Black Hawk State Historic Site, Scott County Park, Illiniwek Park, and Loud Thunder Forest Preserve (make sure you keep an out for bald eagles, too!) Rather learn more about the area’s history? Keep warm and check out the Rock Island Arsenal Museum. Established on July 4, 1905, it’s the second-oldest Army Museum in the U.S.
Agricultural jobs are plentiful in Illinois (the state’s 75,000 farms are quite literally feeding the world), but farming isn’t the only industry that thrives in the Illinois QC. The area boasts biotechnology, defense, advanced manufacturing, food production (brands like General Mills and Sara Lee call the region home), energy, and logistics. Many people come to the Illinois Quad Cities for jobs and then stay for everything else.
Comprised of 946 acres, the Rock Island Arsenal sits on the Mississippi River between Davenport, Iowa, and Rock Island, Illinois. Home to the First Army headquarters, the Rock Island Arsenal now provides manufacturing, logistics, and base support services for the Armed Forces as well as a multitude of different job opportunities. Deere & Company World Headquarters is currently located in Moline, IL, too. John Deere remains a family-oriented company determined to uphold the founder’s core values of integrity, quality, commitment, and innovation. It employs a majority of Quad City, Illinois area residents, and is also open to the public.
Ruhl&Ruhl offers plenty of real estate options and homes for sale in the Quad Cities, IL area for you to choose from. If you need to do a little more research before buying, check out the pages below for additional real estate options:
If you’re looking for new career opportunities in the Iowa area, we’re always looking for folks to join our Ruhl&Ruhl team. Check out our careers page for more information.
Are you interested in seeing a property in person? Contact the experts at Ruhl&Ruhl and let us show you around! Stop in or give us a call at:
Nearest Ruhl&Ruhl Office
1701 - 52nd Avenue
Moline, IL 61265
Phone Number: (563) 441-1776
In 1816, a garrison of U.S. soldiers arrived and began constructing Fort Armstrong on Rock Island, the largest island in the Mississippi River. Riverboat traffic fueled the growth of several communities in the area. A city plat, under the name Stephenson, was filed in 1835. The name was officially changed to Rock Island in 1841.
The first European settlers came to the location that would be Port Byron in 1828. The area belonged to the Potawatomi people at the time, and during the Black Hawk War of 1832, the settlers relocated to Fort Armstrong on Rock Island. After the war, the settlers returned. The town was founded in 1836, with a name meant to honor Lord Byron, the English poet. The village was incorporated in 1877, and Port Byron real estate has been coveted ever since.
In 1837, a stone-and-brush dam between the south shore of the Mississippi and Rock Island was built. This dam provided the water flow that powered multiple mills. After other factories sprung up, a town was platted with the name Rock Island Mills in 1842. However, the name Moline was later adopted and incorporation in 1848, the same year John Deere relocated his plow company to this growing mill town.
The Geneseo area was first settled when eight families from Genesee County, New York moved to Illinois to form a religious community in 1836 and 1837. The area acted as a station on the Underground Railroad helping escaped slaves to relocate to Northern states where slavery was prohibited. Geneseo was officially incorporated in 1855.
The 2.3 mile village of Coal Valley was established in 1856 by farmers and was quickly expanded by the Coal Valley Mining Company.
East Moline was platted in 1895 as a planned town. However, it wasn’t until John Deere & Company established a factory in 1900 that East Moline was finally incorporated as a village in 1903 and as a city in 1907.
Douglas Park, located in Rock island, was the site of the first National Football League (NFL) game in 1920. The Rock Island Independents beat the St. Paul Ideals 48-0. Both the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers played at Douglas Park during its run as an NFL venue.
Offering quick access to beautiful parks, large employers, and popular local restaurants, the Illinois Quad Cities offers easy living for you and your family.
MetroLINK, the Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District, was honored by the American Public Transit Association (APTA) as the Outstanding Public Transit System of the Year for all agencies in North America carrying between 1-4 million passengers annually. Called the “best of the best” in the industry, APTA presents the award to just three transit systems annually. The organization provides Metro bus service, ADA paratransit and Special Transportation Services, and seasonal passenger ferry boat service with the Channel Cat Water Taxi.
The 3.5 million rides a year taken on MetroLINK services provide a vital connection to jobs, education, healthcare, and retail; supporting our local economy and creating a vibrant quality of life. No matter where you work in the Quad Cities, living in the Illinois Quad Cities can get you where you want to go.
Moline Centre: The Moline Centre encourages economic development within the context of historic preservation. You’ll find restaurants, new and old, located within historical buildings and plenty of events to attend every night of the week. The John Deere Pavilion offers a unique experience for everyone who walks through the door. From the vintage machines to today’s agricultural, construction and forestry equipment, the past and future are yours to discover. Bass Street Landing hosts outdoor events, festivals and gatherings on its raised performance stage. Mercado on Fifth offers shopping and dining in an open air marketspace. Lagomarcino’s, founded in 1908, is both a local chocolate shop and a trip back in time as well.
Downtown Rock Island: Downtown Rock Island houses a wide variety of businesses and restaurants within 175 year-old buildings. Whether you’re interested in arts, food, shopping, health and wellness, or even different species of plants, you will find your niche Downtown. Quad City Arts offers a variety of programs to support the community in addition to their gallery in Downtown. Rozz-Tox is a cafe with the added bonus of an art space that showcases music, film, visual art and literature. ComedySportz matches are fully improvised and feature two teams of comedians competing for points and laughs. Circa 21 is a Dinner Playhouse with professional entertainment, performing waitstaff, freshly prepared meals, located in a historic venue. Founded in 1917, the Quad Cities YWCA supports social change, provides child care and promotes fitness and wellness. The Quad City Botanical Center is a public garden that maintains hundreds of plants ranging from tropical varieties to regional perennials.
Broadway Historic District: Broadway is an active 19th century neighborhood in the heart of Rock Island, known for its historic homes, innovative preservation activities and front porch socializing. Broadway is within walking distance to both the Mississippi River and Rock Island’s thriving downtown arts-and-entertainment district. Residents and visitors enjoy close proximity to parks, museums, bike paths, schools and shopping. The Broadway neighborhood became a National Historic District in 1998 and has appeared in Midwest Living and This Old House magazines.
Quad City International Airport: The Quad City International Airport in Moline, IL (MLI), offers dozens of daily flights on four airlines to 11 nonstop or hub/connecting cities. The airport also offers a business center, a full-service restaurant, car rental services and an art showcase prior to the security checkpoint.
John Deere Classic: The John Deere Classic, held annually in July, is the Quad Cities’ premier golf tournament and the only PGA tour event in the region. It has been a breakthrough tournament for multiple players, who earned their first victory on the PGA tour at the local course.
Tug Fest: Tug Fest is a one-of-a-kind event on the banks of the Mississippi River. Visit Port Byron for a weekend full of fun and activities for all ages. Thursday night begins with family night and free admission. Friday night continues with the fireworks, and Saturday brings on the Tug of War across the Mississippi River.
The Camden Centre: The Camden Centre is located within the 90 acre, beautifully landscaped Camden Park. The newly remodeled facility can comfortably seat up to 400 people. Besides banquets and receptions, The Camden Centre now offers state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment for any size business meeting.
Channel Cat: Experience the power of the Rock Island Rapids, considered the most dangerous section of the upper Mississippi. Take the Channel Cat across the Mississippi River as it flows from East to West. Three open-air passenger ferry boats are available to ride. Service is generally provided from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.
TaxSlayer Center: Great concerts are just the beginning! The TaxSlayer Center (formerly iWireless Center and The Mark) not only features national concert tours, but is also home to the local hockey team, the Quad City Storm. In addition, the TaxSlayer Center hosts weddings, banquets, meetings and conventions.
Jumer’s Casino & Hotel: In 2008, Jumer’s opened their current facility Jumer’s Casino & Hotel. The state-of-the-art development features a 43,000 one-level casino floor, a 205-room hotel with 11 luxury suites, an Events Center, the Oculus Sports Bar, the Edje nightclub, and four restaurants. Visit it at the junction of Interstate 280 and Highway 92 in Rock Island.
Black Hawk Historic Site: Black Hawk State Historic Site is a wooded, steeply rolling 208-acre tract bordering the Rock River in Rock Island County. Prehistoric Indians and nineteenth-century settlers made their homes here, but the area is most closely identified with the Sauk nation and the warrior-leader whose name it bears – Black Hawk. It’s open year-round from sunrise to 10 P.M.
Quad Cities, Illinois Real Estate Links
Houses for Rent in the Quad Cities
Townhouses and Condos for Sale in the Quad Cities
Open Houses in Quad Cities, Illinois
New Listings in Quad Cities, Illinois
Land for Sale in the Quad Cities
Luxury Homes and Mansions for Sale in the Quad Cities
New Construction Homes for Sale in Quad Cities
Links to City Resources & Attractions
MetroLINK
RiverShare Libraries
Moline Centre
Downtown Rock Island
Broadway Historic District
Quad City International Airport
John Deere Classic
TaxSlayer Center
Jumer’s Casino & Hotel
Black Hawk Historic Site