Quad Cities Destination Guide

RANKINGS

Ranked #1 as Best Cities for Millennials in the Midwest (The Ascent)

Ranked #3 Best Affordable Places to Live (U.S. News & World Report)

Ranked #3 most diversified metro economy in U.S. (Livability.com)

Ranked #3 out of 382 metro areas for industry diversity (EMSI)

Ranked Top 5 most affordable mid-size metros (Nerd Wallet)

Ranked #8 of midsize cities with highest “cost-of-living adjusted salaries” (Smartest Dollar)

Ranked Top 10 Places for Millennials to Live (RealtyHop)

Ranked #27 in U.S. for cost of doing business, #5 in Midwest, #2 in both Illinois and Iowa for cost of doing business (Forbes) Ranked #29 America’s Best Small Cities for populations between 100,000-500,000 (Resonance Consultancy) Ranked No. 1 state (Iowa) in the nation for high school graduation rates (U.S. Dept. of Education National Center for Education Statistics)

AT A GLANCE

LIVING HERE

A growing region with a population of nearly 500,000 people

An overall cost of living that is lower than the national average

Laborshed workforce of 581,296 people

Competitively priced housing options, including lofts, historic, and new construction in urban, suburban, and rural settings

Air, waterway, rail and trucking resources provide unsurpassed access to both national and international markets without paying major market prices Largest 300-mile market west of Chicago; 37 million people are located within a 300-mile radius of the Quad Cities region 40 colleges and universities within a 90-mile radius, including 12 community colleges, two public four-year universities, two public university satellite campuses, and 24 private colleges universities and institutions of higher learning

Innovative and superior K-12 schools, colleges, and universities

Two award-winning local health care systems and within one hour

of a nationally recognized university research hospital

Average commute time of 16 minutes

Award-winning museums and learning centers

Top-notch parks, outdoor recreational and scenic spaces, and hundreds of miles of trails for hiking, biking, and walking

Power rates are significantly lower than average

Robust arts, culture, theater, sports and entertainment scenes

Flexible business assistance programs

Innovative, creative food landscape with restaurants, food trucks, craft breweries, distilleries, vineyards, and a meadery.

Located in a Foreign Trade Zone

Diverse cultural festivals and events

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