The Quad Cities Deserves To Be On The Top 100 Places To Live List

Hairball: I've lived in the Quad Cities my entire life. I grew up here, I've played here, I've gigged, I've worked, I met my fiancé here, and I'm always going to be here. It's the best place in the world, and that's why I'm really disappointed that the Quad Cities was left off the "Top 100 Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2026" list from some place called Livability.

Three cities in Iowa made the list - Des Moines, Iowa City, and Cedar Rapids. Six cities in Illinois - Naperville, Evanston, Bloomington, Aurora, Champaign, and Peoria (Storm fans are rolling their eyes).

I'm not saying none of those places should be on the list, I'm sure they're great places to live. I'm saying we should absolutely have a seat at the table, and it ticks me off to no end that we were left out.

How did we not make the cut?

Livability.com took a look at "affordability, cultural amenities, talent attraction and more, celebrating the accomplishments of cities through various rankings," according to a news release.

So let's take a look at affordability, cultural amenities, and "more." I spoke with just under a dozen people from our businesses, our arts, and our music, about what makes the Quad Cities the best place to be, and I'm sure you'll agree.

Why We Should've Made The Cut

Affordability

Looking at the QC's figures for affordability, you really get more bang for your buck than the other places on the list.

We've got everyone beat in Average Home Value:

Quad Cities: $186,234
Cedar Rapids: $204,214
Des Moines: $240,000
Iowa City: $298,000

We've got them all beat in Household Income:

Quad Cities: $71,446
Cedar Rapids: $66,895
Des Moines: $85,731
Iowa City: $54,879 (They get a little thrown off by all the college kids)

Our homes are cheaper and we make more money. Sounds like a winning deal to me, but apparently, that doesn't qualify us for the "list."

Business

All of the cities mentioned in that list are accompanied by being an area of "thriving local business." It's a shame, we don't have any of that here... oh wait, that's where you get your lunch. Who you call when you need a home upgrade. Who you call when your heater goes out in the dead of winter. It's the local businesses that are absolutely thriving that make this place what it is.

I talked with a bunch of business owners; here's what they had to say about why they love running a business here. Some have been operating for 5 years. Some 20. Some approaching 40.

Growing up a military brat, I've experienced many different areas in the United States and some overseas. Davenport has been the most friendly city we've encountered, the people here are genuine, friendly and truly care about there neighbors. I started my construction company in June of 2000 and have meet hundreds of folks who have been amazing doing business with and wouldn't move for any reason.
-Dan Jaeger, Jaeger Construction

The Quad Cities is great because we get a great cross section of folks coming through or live and work for the Arsenal or John Deere. There's just a great sense of it being a great place to raise a family.
-Scott Florence, Great River Brewery

Great River Brewery

Just ask Popcorn Charlie what's made him successful in his 36 years of making the most delicious popcorn known to man.

Kimberly Hoeppner

The best thing about having a business in Davenport is the people who come in and buy your product.
-"Popcorn Charlie" Crispin

It's all about the people. The families are what makes the Dek Hockey community what it is. We have no traffic - it's easy for people from around town and beyond, Muscatine, Iowa City, coming to play every week. We've got great restaurants that people who come from all over the world come to the Quad Cities to play in our National Tournament look forward to visiting.

-Patty Levesque, QC Dek Hockey

QC Dek Hockey

Owning a business here in the QC is special because the community truly shows up for you. People don't just support local - they build relationships with you and invest in who you are as a person and as a business.

-Kennedy, Ken's Bark Bus and Spa Mobile Dog Grooming

Ken's Bark Bus

“I don’t mind being omitted from lists like these. I like how we continue to surprise people. I see how this community continues to more receptive to new ideas and it makes me hopeful for what the future brings.”
-Dan Bush, Bummer City Inc. (Armored Gardens, Devon's Complaint Dept, Take Cover Tiki Club)

Culture

As someone who gigs around these parts on occasion and loves live music, I can tell you we've got one of the most thriving and diversified cultural scenes anywhere.

From art to music, to comedy, and everything in between, we've got it all - and the people who are involved love the area for what they do.

Find another area that has something that takes over an entire city like the Alternating Currents Music/Film/Comedy/Art Festival does, showcasing not only the Quad Cities' greatest talents and artists but also regional and even national acts performing on every stage, corner of a bar, and flatbed trailer we have in the area.

We have the Live @ Five from Common Chord, where they shut down 2nd Street in Davenport every Friday through the summer, put up a stage, and have local bands from every genre play for thousands, and that's not even to mention the Common Chord itself, hosting renowned acts every week.

Hairball

That doesn't even scrape the surface. Local artists are thriving in every field, from comedy at the Renwick to the many venues that host live music.

The QC is a special place, especially from my point of view. May it be a Thursday at a brewery, a Saturday at The Rust Belt, or a Sunday-Funday on a dive bar patio... the music scene has something for everybody. Open jams weekly with opportunities to meet, song writer rounds, and a local scene of original music that will easily blow away anyone from a so called "bigger scene." I'm proud to call myself a QC Musician. We're a family, we spoort eachother's work, we like to see eachother succeed. Just another reason I love this little area where the river runs east to west.
-Levi Craft; Far Out 283, Radio Fighter Pilots, The Night Wranglers, Jordan Danielsen Band

Levi Craft

But it's not just the local scene, it's the opportunity that comes with the local scene.

Take it from Jose and 3 Years Hollow, the QC band that made it not once, but twice into the Top 40 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart, and toured with bands like Sevendust, Nonpoint, Eye Empire, Saving Abel, Red, Gemini Syndrome, and Islander.

Besides the obvious staples like taco pizza and Whitey’s Ice Cream, what makes the QC special is what you can actually build here. With Instamix Live, we were able to bring in big artists and that only works because of where we sit. You’re a few hours from Chicago, Des Moines, Minneapolis, St. Louis, so routing makes sense and people can get here.
And with 3 Years Hollow, we got to open for major acts year after year, building a real following right here at home. That doesn’t happen everywhere. The QC can actually support and attract those kinds of shows. People show up, venues stay alive, and it gives bands like us a real foundation to grow from.
-Jose Urquiza, 3 Years Hollow

But it's not all just music. The art scene here is supported immensely through the Figge, but also just look around as you drive around the QC. There are murals everywhere, art on the windows of businesses, pop-up art festivals like the Beaux Arts Fair, and more.

Atlanta Dawn is one of the muralists whose work you'll see adorned by businesses, and one of the coordinators for the murals painted during Alternating Currents.

"The Quad Cities has a big-city feel with small-town support. There's real opportunity here, but also a tight-knit creative community where it's easy to know and collaborate with the people shaping it."
-Atlanta Dawn, ATLD Murals

Atlanta Dawn

I could do this all day - like how our very own Frieght House Farmer's Market is ranked in the Top 10 in the nation.

The Chalk Festival, which draws artists from local to beyond, who fill the streets with elaborate and mind-bending chalk art.