Public Affairs & Government
Rock Island and the Quad Cities: How a 37,000-Person Illinois River Town Communicates
Rock Island sits on the Mississippi between Illinois and Iowa, part of the Quad Cities metro of 380,000. Anchored by the Rock Island Arsenal — the largest US government-owned weapons manufacturing facility — and shaped by John Deere headquarters next door in Moline, the city operates inside a multi-state metro identity that no single city owns.