Quad Cities
Metropolitan area
Coordinates: 41°31′00″N 90°32′00″W  /  41.516666666667°N 90.533333333333°W  / 41.516666666667; -90.533333333333
Country	United States
State(s)	Iowa Illinois
Largest city	Davenport, Iowa
Other cities	Moline, Illinois Rock Island, Illinois Bettendorf, Iowa East Moline, Illinois
Area
? Total	170 sq mi (400 km 2 )
Highest elevation	850 ft (259 m)
Lowest elevation	590 ft (180 m)
Population
? Total	383,681
? Rank	144th in the U.S.
? Density	1,600/sq mi (618/km 2 )
Time zone	UTC-06:00 ( CST )
? Summer ( DST )	UTC-05:00 ( CDT )

The Quad Cities is a group of five ^[1] cities along the Mississippi River in the states of Iowa and Illinois . The five cities are Davenport, Iowa , Bettendorf, Iowa , Moline, Illinois , East Moline, Illinois , and Rock Island, Illinois . The largest of these cities is Davenport. Nearly 400,000 people live in the area. ^[2]

The name "Quad Cities" [ change | change source ]

The name "Quad Cities" can be confusing because "quad" means four. People began calling the area the Quad Cities in the 1960s, before Bettendorf was large enough to be considered a "city". By the time Bettendorf was large enough, people were so used to the name "Quad Cities" that they decided to keep it. (Even earlier, the area had been called the "Tri-Cities", before East Moline became large enough to be considered a city.) ^[3]

Economy [ change | change source ]

The manufacturing , or making, of goods is a big part of the economy in the Quad Cities. Military equipment, such as weapons and armor, are made at the Rock Island Arsenal. John Deere & Company, which makes farm equipment, is in Moline. ^[4]

References [ change | change source ]