ABSTRACT
The Quad Cities area is more or less clearly bounded by an interstate loop consisting of Interstate 74 and Interstate 80 and bisected north-south by an interstate as well, running through Moline to Bettendorf. As in the case of the Southwestern Illinois Metropolitan Region, the Quad Cities are the active connection between Illinois and the trans-Mississippi West, only in their case even more so. For the cities on the Illinois side of the Mississippi this exodus caused property values to plummet. Property tax revenue declined in terms of actual dollar amounts collected, forcing these cities to turn elsewhere for alternate revenue sources. The postwar years of continued prosperity and ability to ride the bumps because of their mixed economy ended for the Quad Cities in the 1980s. Iowa was the first to seize on riverboat gambling to inject a little life into the local economy, pushed by the Scott County delegation.
