The Quad-City Symphony Orchestra, one of oldest orchestras in the nation, performs six pairs of subscription concerts and two pops concerts annually, including one on the riverfront with booming cannons and colorful fireworks. Oh, yes, the Quad-Cities enjoys a thriving arts community and numerous live theater groups. The Putnam Museum of History and Natural Science, the Davenport Museum of Art, and the Family Museum of Arts and Science in Bettendorf, top a long list of museums, zoos, historic sites and other places of interest. If gambling is your thing, there are three casino boats from which to choose. The 256-room Lady Luck Casino Hotel is the centerpiece of a new development in Bettendorf that includes a marina, parking garage and railroad overpass.
Newcomers often ask about education and health care - and both are excellent.
If you're interested in history, there's enough here to keep you interested forever. Regional malls and specialty districts provide lots of choices. The area consistently ranks high as an affordable place in which to live and buy a home. Once known as the farm implement capital of the nation, the Quad-Cities took a heavy hit during the recession and farm crisis of the '70s and '80s. Diversification brought a healthy recovery, though, and the last few years have seen an explosion of commercial activity along such hot spots as Moline's John Deere Road or Davenport's 53rd Street.