Rock Island is located in the southwest corner of the Quad City region (Rock Island and Moline, Illinois, Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa). Located in western Illinois on the Mississippi River, 165 miles west of Chicago, and midway between Minneapolis and St. Louis, the city provides easy access to other major Midwest towns. Rock Island is surrounded by two great rivers, the Mississippi and the Rock Rivers. These rivers support many leisure activities in the area and have beautiful scenic views. Fifteen percent of the nation's population resides within a 300-mile radius of Rock Island.

Rock Island is the county seat of Rock Island County. Rock Island covers over 15 square miles and was the first area settled within the Quad Cities.

The average travel time to work is 16 minutes. 11.1% of Rock Island's households do not own a vehicle, 41.1% own one vehicle, 32.9% own two vehicles, and 15% own three or more vehicles.

With its ideal location at the crossroads of the Midwest, the Quad Cities has multiple means of transportation providing a unique set of choices to move products or supplies anywhere in the world. The Quad Cities lies within a day's drive of nearly 40 million consumers. The major highways intersecting Rock Island are Interstate 280, Highways 5, 67, and 92. In addition, interstates in the Quad City area include Interstate 74, 80, and 88. With the Mississippi River in our backyard, product can be moved on barges. Our many ports and barge companies are closely linked to rail, allowing for even more options. The Quad City International Airport has over 30 daily departures on six airlines to eight major hubs.

For more information visit the Quad Cities First web site at www.quadcities.org.

Traffic Counts

Here are the daily traffic counts for major intersections in Rock Island.

Downtown
Crossing the Centennial Bridge - 20,200
1st Avenue, 17-18th Streets - 9,600
24th Street at 1st Avenue - 16,500
4th Avenue, 24-25th Streets - 14,300
5th Avenue, 24-25th Streets - 11,500

Hilltop
18th Avenue, 30th Street - 15,400
18th Avenue, 38th Street - 15,300

Blackhawk Road
Blackhawk Road & 30th Street - 19,800
Blackhawk Road & 38th Street - 22,000

11th Street
11th Street & 31st Avenue - 13,000
Rock Island Parkway & Andalusia Rd - 18,500

Source: Bi-State Regional Commission www.bistateonline.com June 2005.

Download a map of the daily traffic counts from Bi-State Regional Commission here. For complete average daily counts from the State of Illinois click here.