Any middle-aged Quad City DU'rs out there?

[Southsideirish]

I'm thinking about moving away from the big city where I have lived all my life and feel I need a change.
I went to school in Iowa along the mighty Mississip and just love the feel of the old river towns.
I know there are some nice running paths in the QC (that's my "thing") and I even saw an egret along the creek on one of them. Some beautiful big, old houses with river views are available at not "too" high a price, and I love going to see the River Bandits, of course. In addition, they're only 3 hrs away from Chicago if you need to nip into town for a Dr. visit or whatever.
But beyond that - what's it like to really live there and not just visit? Good movie theaters? (I know there are very good restaurants!)
Any other ex-city dwellers move there? Which town do you like the best? Are there places for folks of progressive politics such as myself to hang out or make friends?
Thanks very much for any information!!

[SheilaT]

1. Muscatine

is also nice. Good friends of mine used to live there, raised their three sons there. They now live in a different state because she got a good job offer elsewhere. It was always nice visiting them in Muscatine.

[Southsideirish]

2. Is it on the "Mighty Mississip"?

Gotta be! Keokuk is, also,nice I hear. They have a beautiful B & B/inn for sale there.

[SheilaT]

3. Yes, it is.

They've got a wonderful walking path along the river. The downtown flooded in the Great Flood of 1993, as did nearly every city and town along the upper Mississippi, but seem to have recovered nicely.

[fudge stripe cookays]

4. I visited Davenport/Bettendorf

back in September working for Dean and I LOVED the architecture! Lots of cool rambling old houses, a pretty college campus (St. Anselm, I think?), lots of cool little neighborhoods.

Our hostess lived out of town near Bettendorf, and it was a pretty area as well.

Plus, we did a park cleanup at Credit Island, so I got to see a little more of the Mississippi riverside. There were lots of really nice progressive Deaniacs working at the HQ there.

I'd live there.

[Blue Gardener]

5. Hi Southsideirish!

You know you can come visit me in Iowa City, we have lots of good Democrats here. I have some pics to send you of our Dean get-together at the ballpark last year.