Rock Island is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 37,108 at the 2020 census. 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 metropolitan area 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 United States, which employs 6,000 people. The original Rock Island, from which the city name is derived, is now called Arsenal Island.

History

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.

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.

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. 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.Diane Oestreich: "Harper House Hotel. 2nd Avenue & 19th Street", Rock Island Preservation Society, February 2013. 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.

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. Resident opposition temporarily delayed the demolition, but the building was demolished in April 2023.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Rock Island has a total area of , of which (or 94.28%) is land and (5.72%) is water.

Climate

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Rock Island, Illinois – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)29,48526,46421,91074.30%67.83%59.04%Black or African American alone (NH)6,7416,9877,13516.99%17.91%19.23%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)8784630.22%0.22%0.17%Asian alone (NH)2906801,6030.73%1.74%4.32%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)178120.04%0.02%0.03%Other race alone (NH)53661600.13%0.17%0.43%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)6701,0651,9281.69%2.73%5.20%Hispanic or Latino (any race)2,3413,6644,2975.90%9.39%11.58%Total39,68439,01837,108100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Rock Island had a population of 37,108. The median age was 37.6 years. 22.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.7 males age 18 and over.

99.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.5% lived in rural areas.

There were 15,180 households in Rock Island, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 35.6% were married-couple households, 22.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 17,085 housing units, of which 11.2% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.8%.

+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 22,966 61.9% Black or African American 7,289 19.6% American Indian and Alaska Native 146 0.4% Asian 1,612 4.3% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 19 0.1% Some other race 1,610 4.3% Two or more races 3,466 9.3% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 4,297 11.6%

2000 census As of the 2000 Census, there were 39,684 people, 16,148 households, and 9,543 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 17,542 housing units at an average density of . 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.

Ethnic communities Per the 2022 American Community Survey five-year estimates, the Burmese American population was 902 comprising 50% of the Asian population (estimated at 1,835). Economy According to the city's 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees1Rock Island Arsenal6,3012Trinity Rock Island1,8483Rock Island–Milan School District 411,2924Rock Island County7335Jumer's Casino & Hotel5506Augustana College5507Pfg Tpc Roma Foods5308City of Rock Island4369Modern Woodmen of America43510Honeywell Safety Products400

Rock Island Arsenal was established in 1862 by the U.S. Army and is listed as a National Historic Landmark.

Arts and culture

The Denkmann-Hauberg House is a historic site in the city, which includes a community events space. Bally's Quad Cities Casino & Hotel is located along the Mississippi River and is among the largest casinos in Illinois.

The Black Hawk State Historic Site along the Rock River preserves the site of a 19th-century settlement and offers educational programs related to the area's indigenous and colonial history. The Broadway Historic District is a designated neighborhood that features a collection of well-preserved late 19th- and early 20th-century buildings. Chippiannock Cemetery was established in 1854 and is one of the oldest cemeteries in the area.

Longview Park Conservatory and Gardens is a botanical garden within Longview Park that houses a wide variety of plant species and offers educational programs. The Quad City Botanical Center is an indoor-outdoor facility dedicated to horticultural education and exhibits.

The Rock Island Public Library was established in 1872.Roland Tweet, Miss Gale's Books: The Beginnings of the Rock Island Public Library, (Rock Island, IL: Rock Island Public Library, 1997), 5.

Rock Island is the site of the Quad City Hindu Temple, a Hindu shrine dedicated chiefly to the deity Venkateswara. The temple opened in 2007., Rock Island News, no byline, accessed December 24, 2008

Cultural organizations Ballet Quad Cities Genesius GuildGenesius Guild The Quad City Symphony Orchestra plays part of its Masterworks Series' concerts at Centennial Hall on the Augustana College campus. Quad City ArtsQuad City Arts

Sports

The first football game in what was to become the National Football League was played at Rock Island's Douglas Park in September 1920. It was hosted by the Rock Island Independents (1907–1926), who were a charter NFL franchise in 1920.

The Rock Island Islanders were a minor league baseball team that played for 37 seasons between 1901 and 1948. The Islanders played at Douglas Park and were affiliates of the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia A's.

Karters flock to Rock Island every year for the prestigious "Rock Island Grand Prix" on Labor Day weekend, which attracts competitors from across the United States and the world. With exception to 1997, when the annual race was canceled due to legal liability issues, the Rock Island Grand Prix has been held every year since 1994.

Education

The majority of the city is served by the Rock Island–Milan School District 41, - Text list which operates 13 public schools, including Rock Island High School. Portions of the southwest area fall under the Rockridge School District, including Rockridge High School. Small portions of Rock Island are in the Rockridge Community Unit School District 300. Several private schools also serve Rock Island, including Jordan Catholic Elementary School and Alleman Catholic High School.

In higher education, Augustana College is a private liberal arts college in the city which was founded in 1860. The city is also home to Bible Missionary Institute.

Media

Rock Island is the location of television station WHBF-TV. Until 1963, WHBF was one of only two television stations in the Quad Cities area. (The other is WOC-TV on the Iowa side of the river.) Rock Island was also the longtime former home of WHBF-TV's former sister radio stations, WHBF and WHBF-FM, although it does remain the licensed city of those stations.

National Public Radio member station WVIK is licensed to and located in Rock Island on the campus of Augustana College, and WGVV-LP, which is also licensed to the city of Rock Island.

Rock Island is the home base for NOAA Weather Radio WXJ-73, the Quad Cities' area NWR station, programmed by the National Weather Service in Davenport.

Transportation

Quad Cities MetroLINK provides bus service on numerous routes connecting Rock Island to destinations across the Quad Cities. District Station in downtown Rock Island serves as a hub of the system.