Accessible, Fun, Outdoorsy, Great Place to Live!
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1/6/2015
I felt like I had to give a review after seeing some of the other posts about Moline. I moved here (from Chicago) a year ago, and I absolutely love it. I'll tell you why.
Moline Downtown: It's revitalized with a hopping brewery, cool bars, good restaurants, unique shopping, the iWireless Center which gets some pretty damn good concerts and entertainment, and bike trails along the Mississippi River.
Uptown Moline: You have a mall which is being expanded and more shopping centers for all of the shopping needs that you would get in any bigger city.
Education: They just built a brand new Western Illinois Campus along the Mississippi River which will house 5000 full time college students and give a huge boost to the local economy. The city has closed some elementary schools down, but they are adjusting to the economic changes of the city just like every other town in America. The crime rate is low and the schools are good.
Housing: Yes, the taxes are high for this area, but go to Chicago and you'll be paying 3-4 times as much! It's Illinois - find a town that the taxes are not high. With that said, the housing is cheap. You can get a great home with a big yard for under 100K. You can get an even better home for under 200K that would cost you a half million in other places in the country.
Nature: You are surrounded by beautiful rivers. The Rock River, which is a National Water Trail offers countless kayaking opportunities which are easy to access. Fishing? Yes... it's good as well. The Mississippi River is beautiful to see downtown and separates Moline from the 2 Quad City cities on in Iowa. Big party boats are seen all around the Mississippi without the huge Chicago price of a docking slip. Camping opportunities all over the place.
Biking: As I mentioned before, there are paved bike trails around the entire Quad Cities. You can bike anywhere and even bike across the Mississippi River over to Iowa and back all along the river. There are several mountain bike trails as well in the area which are some of the best in the Midwest. My brother in-law (from Chicago) comes here and loves them.
People: Awesome and friendly.
Business and Employers: Rock Island Arsenal, John Deere, Kone, Alcoa, and more. There are some really well paying jobs here.
Quad Cities: Moline, Rock Island in Illinois - Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. Each town has their own character which is great. You can go to any of these cities within 10 minutes (with no tolls!) and explore what they have to offer. There's a lot to do in the Quad Cities if you try. Art museums, #1 voted minor league baseball park in the country, excellent farmers markets, breweries, festivals (wow they have a lot of festivals). I love it!
The grass is always greener.,...When you live in a big city like Chicago, you really aren't doing everything it offers. People like to think that they want to live in a big city and once they get there they realize it's super expensive, a hassle to travel, uptight people, and the art and culture museums and events they think they'll attend - they rarely go. Unless you have a LOT of money or live on a shoestring budget with 2 roommates - you can't get ahead. Most of the time, you are sitting at home or going to your local neighborhood bar with your buddies...
I feel like some of the reviews being presented here are from people who grew up in the Quad Cities and saw it for what it was when they were here. Perhaps they saw the industrial cities and blue collar jobs of old go away and the stores close, but just like many other towns in the U.S., the Quad Cities is and has been bouncing back.
Moline and the QC are the best kept secret in the Midwest in my opinion.
Todd | Moline, IL