re:re: Think Twice before moving to the Quad Citie
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8/5/2009
I love people whose only positive statement about a city like Moline is that it's a "great place to raise kids in." Wow, that's a reason to move your family here! There are lots of places in the country that are great places to raise kids. What else does Moline have to offer? These reviews are supposed to give others an overview of cities. Obviously Tory didn't have anything positive to say (i.e. Moline is lacking in art, culture, shopping, etc.) Anony had a lot of specifics to share, so for Tory to comment that it's all a rant of unadultered bull**** is a little short-sighted seeing you've lived in the city for half as long. I have lived in Moline for nearly 60 years, and as a long-time Moliner, I can testify to the downfall of the city and how it's become a shell of what it once was. My old junior high turned into an alternative school for Moline high school students whose teachers can't control them. Low income housing developments are proliferating at an alarming rate and the grade school my children once went to is now one of the worst rated in the city. 23rd Avenue (which was renamed "Avenue of the Cities") is little more than empty storefronts. You do have your pick of two dollar stores, 3 check cashing businesses, and Goodwill. Companies are not coming to Moline (or Illinois for that matter), but instead building on the Iowa side. Southpark mall was for sale for over a year with no takers and is also filled with empty storefronts. The Rock Island Arsenal, one of the largest employers in the QCA, is moving a large amount of its employees to Michigan. College kids might come to the Quad Cities to attend Augustana or St. Ambrose, but they certainly don't stay here. Most young people have to leave for cities like Chicago to find jobs and those that stay usually work for a relative who established a business long ago. Even well-known local celebrities who opine on how they love Moline and the QCA hightail it out of the area once they retire. Why you might ask? Because if you don't have children to raise, there isn't anything else to do! We're not close to any large city, weather is either hot and humid or cold and snowy and the business sector is seriously lacking.
If you're lucky enough to have a decent job, then I'm sure people like Tory can be happy in a city like Moline. But there are a heck of a lot of people struggling in minimum wage jobs and living paycheck to paycheck that, if they had the chance, would leave Moline in a heartbeat for a city more well-rounded and who offered more.
Bp | Moline, IL