Rock Island, Illinois
City
Downtown Rock Island Rock Island Arsenal Black Hawk Site Lock and Dam No. 15 Centennial Bridge
Flag Seal Logo
Motto(s):  Rock Solid, Rock Island
Location of Rock Island in Rock Island County, Illinois.
Rock Island Show map of Illinois Rock Island Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 41°29′21″N 90°34′23″W / 41.48917°N 90.57306°W / 41.48917; -90.57306
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Rock Island
Incorporated	1841
Government
• Mayor	Mike Thoms
Area [1]
• City	17.07 sq mi (44.22 km2)
• Land	16.87 sq mi (43.70 km2)
• Water	0.20 sq mi (0.53 km2)
Population  (2020)
• City	37,108
• Density	2,199.51/sq mi (849.23/km2)
• Metro	384,324 (US: 147th)
• CSA	474,019 (US: 90th)
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes	61201, 61204, 61264, 61299
Area code	309
FIPS code	17-65078
Interstate Spurs	I-280
Website	http://www.rigov.org/ http://www.rocksolidrockisland.com/

Rock Island is a city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States.^[2] The population was 37,108 at the 2020 census.^[3] Located at the confluence of the Rock and Mississippi rivers, it is one of the Quad Cities along with neighboring Moline and East Moline in Illinois and the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. The Quad Cities had a population of 384,324 in 2020. The city is home to Rock Island Arsenal, the largest government-owned weapons manufacturing arsenal in the US, which employs 6,000 people.^[4] The original Rock Island, from which the city name is derived, is now called Arsenal Island.^[5]

History

European-American Settlement

The original portion of what is now known as Rock Island was called Farnhamsburg – after the original two homes were built by Colonel George Davenport and Russell Farnham in 1826. Davenport and Farnham were business partners, trading with the local Native Americans. The original city plat was filed on July 10, 1835, and was named Stephenson. It was renamed Rock Island in March 1841.^[6]

The southern portion of Rock Island, including today's Watch Hill area, was originally known as Searstown. It was named after David B. Sears - who built the Sears Power Dam on the Rock River. Searstown was annexed by Rock Island in 1915.

This area has been a fortuitous place first for settlement and then for steamboat traffic, bridges, and railroads.

Railroads and development

The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad (RI) was founded here in 1851, known informally as the Rock Island Line; over the next century, the railroad grew to serve fourteen states but ended in bankruptcy in 1980.^[7] As part of later nineteenth-century development, two first-class hotels: the Harper House (built by Ben Harper and opened in February 1871) and the Rock Island House were built in town.^[8] The Rock Island Arsenal has manufactured military equipment and ordnance for the U.S. Army since the 1880s.

The Rock Island Southern Railway was an interurban line that ran from Rock Island to Monmouth, Illinois, then onward to Galesburg, Illinois. It was built between 1906 and 1910. A portion of the trackage, from Rock Island to Preemption, Illinois, was shared with the CRI&P line that served the coal mines in Cable, Illinois, and Sherrard, Illinois. The line finally folded in 1952.

Bridges

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Due to its geography, Rock Island has a rich history of bridge building, including the first railroad bridge across the Mississippi (now gone), an unusual two-track railroad bridge, and the largest roller dam in the world.

The first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River was built between Arsenal Island and Davenport in 1856. Many steamboat pilots felt that the bridge had been intentionally positioned to make it hard for them to navigate, and this conflict reflected a larger rivalry: St. Louis and its steamboats against Chicago and its railroads.^[9] Two weeks after the bridge opened, the steamboat Effie Afton collided with the bridge, caught fire, and damaged the bridge.^[9] The owner of the Effie Afton sued the bridge company for damages, and Abraham Lincoln was one of the lawyers who defended the railroad.^[9] This test case was appealed to the United States Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the railroad in 1872.^[9] Although the original bridge is long gone, a monument exists on Arsenal Island marking the Illinois side. On the Iowa side, the bridge was located near where 4th and Federal streets intersect with River Drive.

The Lock and Dam No. 15 and the Government Bridge are located just southwest of the site of the first bridge. The Government Bridge, completed in 1896, is notable for having two sets of railroad tracks above the car lanes. There are only two bridges in the world with this feature. Three other bridges span the river between Rock Island and Davenport. The Crescent Rail Bridge is a railroad-only bridge, completed in 1899. The Centennial Bridge was completed in 1940 for autos only. The newest bridge is the Interstate 280 bridge, completed in 1973. Lock and Dam No. 15, completed in 1934 as a federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) project during the Great Depression, is the largest roller dam in the world. The dam is designed for navigation, not flood control. During flood season, the rollers are raised, unleashing the full flow of the water.

On the south side of the city, overlooked by the Black Hawk State Historic Site, are auto and railroad crossings of the Rock River to Milan, Illinois. This set of bridges also crosses the historic Hennepin Canal and Sears Dam^[10] (this was named after the entrepreneur David B. Sears, who previously built the Sears Dam between Arsenal Island and Moline.) In 2007 a new bridge was completed between 3rd Street Moline/southeast Rock Island and Milan. It expedites the trip to Milan, the airport,^[which?] and points south on U.S. Route 67.

Geography

Rock Island is located at 41°29′21″N 90°34′23″W / 41.48917°N 90.57306°W / 41.48917; -90.57306 (41.489083, -90.573154).^[11]

According to the 2010 census, Rock Island has a total area of 17.872 square miles (46.29 km²), of which 16.85 square miles (43.64 km²) (or 94.28%) is land and 1.022 square miles (2.65 km²) (5.72%) is water.^[12]

Climate

Rock Island Climate chart (explanation) J F M A M J J A S O N D     2     27 16     3.4     30 16     2     46 27     5.8     61 43     7.2     73 55     5.9     81 64     1.8     86 68     3.2     84 66     3.7     75 59     3.9     64 45     1.9     52 36     2     28 19 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source: [13] Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     51     −3 −9     86     −1 −9     51     8 −3     147     16 6     183     23 13     150     27 18     46     30 20     81     29 19     94     24 15     99     18 7     48     11 2     51     −2 −7 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	1,711		—
1860	5,130		199.8%
1870	7,890		53.8%
1880	11,659		47.8%
1890	13,634		16.9%
1900	19,493		43.0%
1910	24,335		24.8%
1920	35,177		44.6%
1930	37,953		7.9%
1940	42,775		12.7%
1950	48,710		13.9%
1960	51,863		6.5%
1970	50,166		−3.3%
1980	46,821		−6.7%
1990	40,552		−13.4%
2000	39,684		−2.1%
2010	39,018		−1.7%
2020	37,108		−4.9%
2022 (est.)	36,256	[14]	−2.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[15] 2010[16] 2020[17]

2020 census

Rock Island, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2010[16]	Pop 2020[17]	% 2010	% 2020
White (NH)	26,464	21,910	67.83%	59.04%
Black or African American (NH)	6,987	7,135	17.91%	19.23%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	84	63	0.22%	0.17%
Asian (NH)	680	1,603	1.74%	4.32%
Pacific Islander (NH)	8	12	0.02%	0.03%
Some Other Race (NH)	66	160	0.17%	0.43%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	1,065	1,928	2.73%	5.20%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	3,664	4,297	9.39%	11.58%
Total	39,018	37,108	100.00%	100.00%

2010 Census

In 2000 Census, there were 39,684 people, 16,148 households, and 9,543 families residing in the city.^[18] The population density was 2,492.0 inhabitants per square mile (962.2/km²). There were 17,542 housing units at an average density of 1,101.6 per square mile (425.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.13% White, 17.17% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 2.41% from other races, and 2.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.90% of the population.

There were 16,148 households, out of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.2% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.9% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.97.

The city's population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 13.1% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,729, and the median income for a family was $45,127. Males had a median income of $32,815 versus $23,378 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,202. About 10.9% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Largest employers

According to the city's 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,^[19] the largest employers in the city are:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	Rock Island Arsenal	6,301
2	Trinity Rock Island	1,848
3	Rock Island–Milan School District 41	1,292
4	Rock Island County	733
5	Jumer's Casino & Hotel	550
6	Augustana College	550
7	Pfg Tpc Roma Foods	530
8	City of Rock Island	436
9	Modern Woodmen of America	435
10	Honeywell Safety Products	400

Rock Island County Courthouse

Construction began in April 2017 for a new Rock Island County courthouse. The $28 million project was completed in the fall of 2018, and the old courthouse was expected to be torn down upon completion of the new building.^[20] However, resident opposition delayed the demolition, with the phrase "Save Our Courthouse" being used by opponents to the demolition. The old courthouse was demolished in April 2023.

Education

The majority of the city is served by the Rock Island–Milan School District with portions of the southwest area falling under the Rockridge School District. The Rock Island–Milan School District is currently home to 13 public schools, with one high school, two junior high schools, nine elementary schools, and one alternative education center. Several private schools also serve Rock Island, including Jordan Catholic Elementary School and Alleman Catholic High School.

High schools

• Alleman High School
• Rock Island High School
• Rockridge High School (Taylor Ridge, Illinois)

Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=Rock_Island,_Illinois
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