Bettendorf, Iowa

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Bettendorf, Iowa
Location in the State of Iowa
Location in the State of Iowa
Coordinates: 41°33′0″N 90°29′37″W / 41.55, -90.49361
Country United States
State Iowa
County Scott
Incorporated 1903
Government
 - Type Mayor-council government
 - Mayor Mike Freemire
Area
 - City 22.4 sq mi (57.8 km²)
 - Land 21.4 sq mi (55.0 km²)
 - Water 1.1 sq mi (3.0 km²)
Elevation 571 ft (174 m)
Population (2000)
 - City 31,275
 - Density 1,513.7/sq mi (589.0/km²)
 - Metro 377,291 (131st)
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code 52722
Area code(s) 563
FIPS code 19-06355
GNIS feature ID 0454588
Website: http://www.bettendorf.org/
The I-74 Bridge, which spans the Mississippi River, connects the cities of Bettendorf and Moline, Illinois.
The I-74 Bridge, which spans the Mississippi River, connects the cities of Bettendorf and Moline, Illinois.

Bettendorf is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States. The population was 31,275 at the 2000 census. Bettendorf is part of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring Davenport and the Illinois cities of Moline, East Moline and Rock Island.

Contents

[edit] History

Bettendorf lies in the original Wisconsin Territory, which was bought from the Sac and Fox Indians in the Black Hawk Purchase of 1832. The first white settlers established a village named Lillienthal, commemorating an early tavern and dance hall. The village of Gilbert developed alongside Lillienthal in 1858, honoring Elias Gilbert, who plotted the original site. At that time, the residents were predominantly German and were employed as farmers, skilled laborers, and small business owners. The two villages eventually combined to become the town of Gilbert.

Around 1900, William and Joseph Bettendorf were gifted 70 acres of riverfront land on condition that they move their iron wagon business from Davenport to Gilbert. In 1903, the town of 440 citizens petitioned for incorporation, requesting to change the town's name to honor the brothers whose factory was a major influence in the early development of the city.

In the late 1940s, a site adjacent to Bettendorf, known as Riverdale, was chosen by the Aluminum Company of America (A.L.C.O.A.) to be the site of the world's largest aluminum rolling mill. This, and the attendant spin off developments from it, caused Bettendorf to enter a period of explosive growth in population which has sustained itself to the present day.

[edit] Government

Bettendorf has a mayor-council form of government with a mayor and seven city council members. Two council members are at-large while the other five come from each of the city's five wards.

[edit] Geography

Bettendorf is located at 41°33′0″N, 90°29′37″W (41.550044, -90.493679).[1]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.4 square miles (57.9 km²), of which, 21.2 square miles (55.0 km²) of it is land and 1.1 square miles (3.0 km²) of it (5.10%) is water.

Weather averages for Bettendorf
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 63 (17) 68 (20) 83 (28) 88 (31) 93 (34) 100 (38) 102 (39) 103 (39) 97 (36) 90 (32) 78 (26) 69 (21) 103 (39)
Average high °F (°C) 29 (-2) 35 (2) 47 (8) 60 (16) 72 (22) 82 (28) 85 (29) 83 (28) 76 (24) 64 (18) 47 (8) 34 (1) 60 (16)
Average low °F (°C) 13 (-11) 19 (-7) 30 (-1) 41 (5) 53 (12) 62 (17) 65 (18) 66 (19) 57 (14) 45 (7) 32 (0) 20 (-7) 42 (6)
Record low °F (°C) -23 (-31) -28 (-33) -14 (-26) 11 (-12) 28 (-2) 42 (6) 48 (9) 43 (6) 32 (0) 18 (-8) -4 (-20) -21 (-29) -28 (-33)
Precipitation inches (mm) 1.13 (28.7) 1.28 (32.5) 2.37 (60.2) 3.21 (81.5) 3.76 (95.5) 4.71 (119.6) 3.51 (89.2) 4.31 (109.5) 2.96 (75.2) 2.46 (62.5) 2.39 (60.7) 2.02 (51.3) 2.84 (72.1)
Source: [2]

[edit] Education

[edit] Bettendorf School District

The Bettendorf School District covers most areas of central, northern and western Bettendorf. Elementary students are assigned to one of six elementary schools – Neil Armstrong, Herbert Hoover, Thomas Jefferson, Paul Norton, Mark Twain and Grant Wood. The district also has a middle and high school. A seven-member board of education represents district residents; they meet on the first and third Monday of each month at the Ray Stensvad Administration Center. A new Neil Armstrong school was recently built. It is the only balanced calendar school in the district.

[edit] Pleasant Valley School District

The Pleasant Valley School District encompasses areas of eastern Bettendorf, as well as the outlying communities of Pleasant Valley, Riverdale and Le Claire. Located inside the city limits are two of the district's four elementary schools (Pleasant View and Riverdale Heights), Pleasant Valley High School and the administrative center. Junior high students are bussed to Pleasant Valley Junior High School, on the outskirts of Le Claire, while Le Claire elementary students go to either Cody or Bridgeview Elementary Schools. Board members are elected from seven director districts, five within Bettendorf's city limits and two others serving LeClaire-area residents. The high school has 1,132 students, the junior high 501 students, and the four combined elementary schools 1,821 students. The total district has 3,454 students.[3]

Both high schools are part of the Mississippi Athletic Conference for sports.

[edit] Other schools

Also located within the city limits is Rivermont Collegiate, a nonsectarian, independent, multicultural, college preparatory school for preschool through 12th-grade students; Morning Star Academy, a Classical Christian school for preschool through 12th-grade students; and Scott Community College, part of the Eastern Iowa Community College District. Rivermont Collegiate is also known for being the former mansion of J.W. Bettendorf, the founder of the city.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 31,275 people, 12,474 households, and 8,719 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,472.8 people per square mile (568.5/km²). There were 13,044 housing units at an average density of 614.3/sq mi (237.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.01% White, 1.58% African American, 0.21% Native American, 1.42% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.47% of the population.

There were 12,474 households out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $54,217, and the median income for a family was $66,620. Males had a median income of $48,524 versus $28,564 for females. The per capita income for the city was $28,053. About 3.3% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Landmarks

Main article: Quad Cities Landmarks

[edit] Media

Main article: Quad Cities Media

[edit] Sports

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links