Bettendorf

Understand

The territory that now encompasses Bettendorf was opened to white settlement following the Black Hawk Purchase of 1832. The first European-American settlers established a village which they called Lillienthal, after an early tavern and dance hall. The village of Gilbert developed alongside Lillienthal in 1858, honoring Elias Gilbert, who platted the original site. At that time, the residents were predominantly German immigrants and worked as farmers, skilled laborers, and small business owners. The two villages eventually combined to become the town of Gilbert. The town gave William and Joseph Bettendorf 70 acres along the riverfront on the condition that they move their iron wagon business from Davenport to Gilbert. In 1903 the town petitioned for incorporation and requested that its name change to honor the brothers whose factory was a major economic influence in the early development of the city. The first modern-day riverboat casinos in the United States were launched in Bettendorf in 1991 by local businessman Bernard Goldstein. He went on to found the Isle of Capri Casinos. According to the 2021 census Bettendorf is home to 39,327.

Get in

By car

Most people arrive using Interstate 74, the easiest route if arriving at Quad City International Airport. The exits are also the primary entry points from Davenport. Grant and State Street (US Route 67) are one-ways in the downtown area that originate from River Drive on the west side that connects with downtown Davenport. Middle Road connects with Locust Street and Kimberly Road-Spruce Hills Drive intersection (US Route 6) straddles the border between the two cities and Spruce Hills Drive travels though the north side. The 53rd Street exit is completely in Davenport and becomes 53rd Avenue in Bettendorf.

Many visitors who arrive via Interstate 80 will exit onto I-74 as they enter Bettendorf. Middle Road also has an exit and US Route 67 at the Mississippi River Bridge in Le Claire also provides an entry point.

By plane

• Quad City International Airport in Moline has non-stop flights from major markets primarily in the Midwest, the South and Southwest United States.

By bus

There is no interstate bus terminal in Bettendorf, however there are two in the Quad Cities with public transit connections to Bettendorf. Both locations are served by Greyhound and Burlington Trailways.

• The Charles J. Wright Ground Transportation Center is located in downtown Davenport. CitiBus Route 10 connects to Bettendorf in the downtown area and at Duck Creek Plaza.
• Centre Station in downtown Moline is connected to Bettendorf by Bettendorf Transit Route 1.

By train

As of 2019 there is no Amtrak service to the Quad Cities. The closest station is in Galesburg, Illinois. However, there are plans to inaugurate Amtrak service with direct service between Chicago and Moline, Illinois.

Get around

By car

Bettendorf is generally an easy city to navigate, but it has a couple of quirks. The city streets are basically laid out in a grid pattern, especially in the older part of town. Some of the newer residential sections of the city do not follow a grid, however. For the most part, east-west streets are named and the north-south streets are numbered starting at the border with Davenport. There are a couple of exceptions. Devils Glen Road is a north-south Street on the east side of town and 53rd Avenue is an east west street on the north side that connects with 53rd Street in Davenport. Middle Road is a major thoroughfare through the middle of town as the name suggests. However, it defies the grid pattern as it travels northeast from Locust Street in Davenport before it heads north to I-80. Addresses on east-west streets are numbered from the west at the border with Davenport, and on north-south streets from Mississippi River toward Interstate 80.

The Quad Cities has a wayfinding color code system for signs that direct people to various venues and attractions in the area. The area is divided into quadrants with their own colors and identifying headers on direction signs have the appropriate color for each quadrant so that travelers know, by color, which quadrant you are in and to which color you will have to travel to reach other attractions. Bettendorf is in the northeast quadrant and its attractions are on signs that use the yellow color in the header. The northwest quadrant (Davenport) is green, the southeast quadrant (Moline-East Moline) is blue and the southwest quadrant (Rock Island) is red.

By bus

Public transportation is operated by Bettendorf Transit. There is a connection with the Illinois Quad City's MetroLINK from downtown to Centre Station in downtown Moline (Route 1). There is also a connection with Davenport's CitiBus in downtown Bettendorf and at Duck Creek Plaza (CitiBus Route 10).

By bicycle

The Riverfront Parkway follows the Mississippi River and connects with the trail in Davenport. It is part of the larger multi-state Mississippi River Trail. The Duck Creek Parkway is a second trail that runs through the middle of the city from Duck Creek Park in Davenport on west to its terminus along US Route 67. In time it will connect to the Riverfront Trail.

By water taxi

A unique way to see the Quad Cities is from the Channel Cat Water Taxi, an open air boat that transports people and bicycles to the Iowa and Illinois shorelines. The four stops are at the Celebration Belle and at John Deere Commons in Moline, the Isle of Capri in Bettendorf and the Village of East Davenport. It operates in the summer months.

Learn

• Scott Community College A two-year school it is part of the Eastern Iowa Community College District.

Go next

• Le Claire, just northeast of Bettendorf with quaint shops and home of Buffalo Bill (and a museum devoted to showcasing his life).