Davenport tourist information

Davenport is a city in the American state of Iowa that borders the Mississippi River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 98,359. A 2005 estimate tells that the city had grown slightly to 98,845. The city is part of the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois. Davenport is the home of Palmer College of Chiropractic, the birthplace of chiropractic medicine and wellness technique. Saint Ambrose University is also located in Davenport. Davenport is the county seat of Scott County.

Davenport often makes national headlines when the Mississippi River floods. It is the only city over 20,000 people bordering the Mississippi that has no permanent floodwall or levee. Davenport prefers the open access to the river for parks and vistas over having access cut off by dikes and levees. Davenport has adopted ordinances that any new construction in the floodplain must be elevated above the 100 year flood level or protected with walls. As a result, feasibility studies done by the United States Army Corps of Engineers have determined that building a floodwall along Davenport's riverfront is not feasible. Two examples of buildings that are elevated or floodproofed in Davenport are John O'Donnell Stadium and the Figge Art Museum.

Several well-known annual festivals take place in Davenport. Notable festivals are the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, The Mississippi Valley Fair, and the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival, dedicated to Davenport native Bix Beiderbecke. An internationally known seven-mile foot race called the Bix 7 is run during the festival.

While situated squarely in the path of 'Tornado Alley' Davenport is believed to be protected by a blessing going back to the days when the indigenous population (Sauk and Fox tribes) lived in nearby Saukenuk. To this day no funnel cloud has touched within the city's boundaries.

The influence of the native Sauk and Fox tribes in the Upper Mississippi region, led British emigree George Davenport, in 1805, to establish a home and trading post on Rock Island (Now the US Army Rock Island Arsenal). The Davenport trading post atrracted many entrepreneurs, including part-Native American Antoine Le Claire, who founded a settlement at the bluffs across from "Colonel" Davenport's Trading Post. From a small village of traders, the town became known for transporting cargo up the famous Rock Island Rapids, and became a rough and tumble European community, with heavy German and Flemish settlement late in the 19th Century.

Davenport was located on the longest stretch of the Mississippi River with rapids. At this point, the river also runs east to west. Anyone who has grown up elsewhere along the river is mildly surprised to see the sun rise and set along its path. Part of the native blessing of the Sauk and Fox is that when the "Father of Waters," the spirit of the Mississippi, flowed south between this portion of Iowa and Illinois, he turned to look with wonder at the great beauty of the valley. Thus, the "nose" of the map of Iowa was created, with Davenport its leading town.

Things to do * Assumption High School (Davenport, Iowa) * Brady Street Stadium * Centennial Bridge * Credit Island * Davenport Central High School * Davenport Public Library * Davenport Skybridge * Figge Art Museum * Great Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds * John O'Donnell Stadium, home of the Swing of the Quad Cities * Northpark Mall * Putnam Museum and IMAX Theater * River Music Experience * Sacred Heart Cathedral (Davenport) * Saint Ambrose University * Stampe Lilac Garden - established and maintained by Mr. and Mrs. Wilson Stampe, later named in their honor. It contains about 250 blooming lilac bushes, crab apples, and 30,000 spring-blooming bulbs (narcissus, daffodils, crocus, hyacinths, and tulips). Located at Duck Creek Park. * Vander Veer Botanical Park

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