History of Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city in the United States|American state of Iowa that borders the Mississippi River. As of the United States 2000 Census|2000 census, the city had a total population of 98,359. A 2005 estimate tells that the city had grown slightly to 98,845. The city is part of the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois. Davenport is the home of Saint Ambrose University. Palmer College of Chiropractic, which is the birthplace of chiropractic medicine and wellness technique, is also located in Davenport. Davenport is the county seat of Scott County, Iowa|Scott County, and the partner city of Kaiserslautern, Germany.
Davenport often makes national headlines when the Mississippi River floods. It is the only city over 20,000 people bordering the Mississippi that has no permanent floodwall or levee. Davenport prefers the open access to the river for parks and vistas over having access cut off by dikes and levees. Davenport has adopted ordinances that any new construction in the floodplain must be elevated above the 100 year flood level or protected with walls. As a result, feasibility studies done by the United States Army Corps of Engineers have determined that building a floodwall along Davenport's riverfront is not feasible. Two examples of buildings that are elevated or floodproofed in Davenport are John O'Donnell Stadium and the Figge Art Museum.
Several well-known annual music festivals take place in Davenport. Notable festivals are the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, The Mississippi Valley Fair, and the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival, dedicated to Davenport native Bix Beiderbecke. An internationally known seven-mile foot race called the Bix 7 is run during the festival.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport is based in Davenport. In addition to covering the Iowa portion of the Quad Cities, this diocese also covers the southeast quarter of the state of Iowa. The current Bishop of the Diocese is Bishop Martin John Amos. The Bishop Emeritus of the diocese is William Edwin Franklin. The Cathedral parish for this Diocese is Sacred Heart Cathedral (Davenport|Sacred Heart Cathedral. St. Ambrose University, established in 1882, is affiliated with the diocese. The current president is Dr. Edward Rogalski.
source Wikipedia