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Rock Island, Illinois

Rock Island, Illinois
Clockwise from top: Lock and Dam No. 15, statue of Black Hawk, Rock Island Centennial Bridge, Quad City Botanical Center, replica of a Fort Armstrong blockhouse.
Motto: Rock Solid, Rock Island
Location in the State of Illinois
Location in the State of Illinois
Coordinates: 41°29′21″N 90°34′23″W / 41.48917°N 90.57306°W / 41.48917; -90.57306Coordinates: 41°29′21″N 90°34′23″W / 41.48917°N 90.57306°W / 41.48917; -90.57306
Country United States
State Illinois
County Rock Island County
Incorporated 1841
Government
 • Mayor Dennis Pauley
Area
 • City 17.87 sq mi (46.3 km2)
 • Land 16.85 sq mi (43.6 km2)
 • Water 1.02 sq mi (2.6 km2)
Population (2010)
 • City 39,018
 • Density 2,417.7/sq mi (933.5/km2)
 • Metro 381,342 (134th)
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Interstate Spurs I-280
Website http://www.rigov.org/ http://www.liveri.com/

Rock Island is a city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The original Rock Island, from which the city name is derived, is the largest island on the Mississippi River. It is now called Arsenal Island. The population was 39,018 at the 2010 census. Located on the Mississippi River, it is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring Moline, East Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. The Quad Cities has a population of about 380,000. The city is home to Rock Island Arsenal, the largest government-owned weapons manufacturing arsenal in the US, which employs 6,000 people.

There's a wide variety of housing available in Rock Island including historic homes, new downtown condos, new construction in the heart of the city, and wooded retreats. The Rock Island-Milan School District, Rockridge School District (southwest portion of city) along with private schools, serve the city. The District (Downtown Rock Island) has art galleries and theaters, nightclubs and coffee shops, and restaurants of all flavors. Golf courses, parks, a casino, botanical center, marina, historic tours, bike paths, and festivals offer entertainment opportunities.

In 2015 Rock Island was ranked the 32nd "Best Small City" in the country based on economic health, affordability, and quality of life.

Rock Island made the list of the nations "25 Most Affordable Housing Markets", a ranking released by 24/7 Wall Street.

This area has been a fortuitous place first for settlement and then for steamboat traffic, bridges, and railroads.

Various Native American tribes occupied this area for thousands of years before settlement. By the early nineteenth century, it was occupied chiefly by the historic Sauk tribe. Their major village of Saukenuk was located on the south side of Rock Island, along the Rock River. After the War of 1812, the United States built Fort Armstrong on the island for defensive reasons in 1816.


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