Rock Island County, Illinois

County in Illinois, United States

"Rock Island County" redirects here. Not to be confused with Rock Island Township.

U.S. county in Illinois

Rock Island County

U.S. county

Rock Island County Justice Center

Rock Island County Justice Center

Official logo of Rock Island County

Logo

Map of Illinois highlighting Rock Island County

Location within the U.S. state of Illinois

Illinois's location within the U.S.

Country|  United States
State|  Illinois
Founded| 1831
Named for| Rock (Arsenal) Island
Seat| Rock Island
Largest city| Moline
Area

• Total| 451 sq mi (1,170 km2)
• Land| 428 sq mi (1,110 km2)
• Water| 24 sq mi (60 km2)  5.2%
Population

(2010)

• Total| 147,546
• Estimate

(2019)

| 141,879
• Density| 330/sq mi (130/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| 17th
Website| www.co.rock-island.il.us

Rock Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois, bounded on the west by the Mississippi River. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 147,546.[1] Its county seat is Rock Island; its largest city is neighboring Moline.[2] Rock Island County is one of the four counties that make up the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.[3]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Geography
* 2.1 Climate and weather
* 2.2 Major highways
* 2.3 Transit
* 2.4 Adjacent counties
* 2.5 National protected area
* 3 Demographics
* 4 Economy
* 5 Communities
* 5.1 Cities
* 5.2 Villages
* 5.3 Census-designated places
* 5.4 Unincorporated communities
* 5.5 Townships
* 5.6 Forts
* 6 Politics
* 7 See also
* 8 Footnotes
* 9 Further reading
* 10 External links

## History

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File:Rock Island County Illinois 1831.pngRock Island County at the time of its creation in 1831

Rock Island County was formed in 1831 out of Jo Daviess County. It was named for Rock Island, an island in the Mississippi River now known as Arsenal Island.[4] The Rock River (which the Sauk and Fox Indians called Sinnissippi meaning "rocky waters")[5] flows from Whiteside County and points further east and north and joins the Mississippi River at Rock Island. The Sinnissippi Mounds, dating from the Hopewell period and on the National Register of Historic Places are upriver at Sterling in Whiteside County.

## Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 451 square miles (1,170 km2), of which 428 square miles (1,110 km2) is land and 24 square miles (62 km2) (5.2%) is water.[6]

### Climate and weather

[edit | edit source]

Rock Island, Illinois

Climate chart (explanation)

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1.3

1.4

2.6

3.6

4.4

4.8

4.3

2.9

2.4

2.5

1.9

Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[7]
| Metric conversion

−11

113

121

109

Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Rock Island have ranged from a low of 13 °F (−11 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −22 °F (−30 °C) was recorded in February 1996 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) was recorded in July 2006. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.28 inches (33 mm) in January to 4.75 inches (121 mm) in June.[7]

### Major highways

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* Interstate 74
* Interstate 80
* File:I-88.svg Interstate 88
* Interstate 280
* U.S. Highway 6
* U.S. Highway 67
* U.S. Highway 150
* File:Illinois 2.svg Illinois Route 2 (formerly)
* File:Illinois 5.svg Illinois Route 5
* Illinois Route 84
* Illinois Route 92
* Illinois Route 94
* File:Illinois 110.svg Illinois Route 110
* File:Illinois 192.svg Illinois Route 192

### Transit

[edit | edit source]

* Quad Cities MetroLINK
* List of intercity bus stops in Illinois

### Adjacent counties

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* Clinton County, Iowa (north)
* Whiteside County (northeast)
* Henry County (southeast)
* Mercer County (south)
* Louisa County, Iowa (southwest)
* Muscatine County, Iowa (west)
* Scott County, Iowa (northwest)

### National protected area

[edit | edit source]

* Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (part)

## Demographics

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Historical population

Census | Pop. |  | %±
1840| 2,610| | —
1850| 6,937| | 165.8%
1860| 21,005| | 202.8%
1870| 29,783| | 41.8%
1880| 38,302| | 28.6%
1890| 41,917| | 9.4%
1900| 55,249| | 31.8%
1910| 70,404| | 27.4%
1920| 92,297| | 31.1%
1930| 98,191| | 6.4%
1940| 113,323| | 15.4%
1950| 133,558| | 17.9%
1960| 150,991| | 13.1%
1970| 166,734| | 10.4%
1980| 165,968| | −0.5%
1990| 148,723| | −10.4%
2000| 149,374| | 0.4%
2010| 147,546| | −1.2%
2020| 144,672| | −1.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10]
1990-2000[11] 2010-2019[1]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 147,546 people, 61,303 households, and 38,384 families residing in the county.[12] The population density was 345.0 inhabitants per square mile (133.2/km2). There were 65,756 housing units at an average density of 153.8 per square mile (59.4/km2).[6] The racial makeup of the county was 81.6% white, 9.0% black or African American, 1.6% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 4.4% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 11.6% of the population.[12] In terms of ancestry, 25.9% were German, 14.2% were Irish, 8.7% were English, 6.8% were Swedish, and 5.2% were American.[13]

Of the 61,303 households, 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.4% were non-families, and 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 40.0 years.[12]

The median income for a household in the county was $46,226 and the median income for a family was $58,962. Males had a median income of $42,548 versus $31,917 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,071. About 8.7% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.[14]

## Economy

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At one time Mississippi Valley Airlines had its headquarters in Quad City Airport in the county.[15] John Deere is headquartered in Moline.[16]

## Communities

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### Cities

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* East Moline
* Moline
* Rock Island
* Silvis

### Villages

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* Andalusia
* Carbon Cliff
* Coal Valley (part)
* Cordova
* Hampton
* Hillsdale
* Milan
* Oak Grove
* Port Byron
* Rapids City
* Reynolds (part)

### Census-designated places

[edit | edit source]

* Coyne Center
* Rock Island Arsenal

### Unincorporated communities

[edit | edit source]

* Barstow
* Buffalo Prairie
* Campbell's Island
* Edgington
* Illinois City
* Joslin
* Taylor Ridge

### Townships

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Rock Island County is divided into eighteen townships:

* Andalusia
* Blackhawk
* Bowling
* Buffalo Prairie
* Canoe Creek
* Coal Valley
* Coe
* Cordova
* Drury
* Edgington
* Hampton
* Moline
* Port Byron
* Rock Island
* Rural
* South Moline
* South Rock Island
* Zuma

### Forts

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* Fort Armstrong

## Politics

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Before 1932, Rock Island County was a Republican stronghold in presidential elections, backing the party's candidate in every election from 1892 to 1928. From 1932 on, it has consistently backed Democratic Party presidential candidates, except for the national Republican landslides of 1952, 1956, 1972, and 1980. In 2016, Donald Trump managed to keep Hillary Clinton to a single-digit margin of victory, the first Republican to do so since Ronald Reagan in 1984; in 2020, Joe Biden increased the Democratic margin from 8.3% to 12.1%. Due to the dominance of the Democratic Party in county politics, Rock Island County remains one of the most Democratic counties outside of the Chicago area in Illinois. Since 2010 the Republican Party began making inroads in county politics, gaining a few seats on the Democratic-dominated county board; however, since 2018, the Republican Party influence on the board has begun to decrease as the county resumed heavy Democratic voting.[17]

United States presidential election results for Rock Island County, Illinois[18] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party

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No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2020 | 28,603  | 42.85%  | 36,691  | 54.96% | 1,464  | 2.19%
2016 | 26,998  | 42.19%  | 32,298  | 50.47% | 4,698  | 7.34%
2012 | 24,934  | 38.23%  | 39,157  | 60.04% | 1,126  | 1.73%
2008 | 25,364  | 36.97%  | 42,210  | 61.52% | 1,034  | 1.51%
2004 | 29,663  | 42.39%  | 39,880  | 56.99% | 429  | 0.61%
2000 | 25,194  | 38.70%  | 37,957  | 58.31% | 1,944  | 2.99%
1996 | 20,626  | 33.84%  | 34,822  | 57.13% | 5,507  | 9.03%
1992 | 23,212  | 32.22%  | 37,412  | 51.93% | 11,415  | 15.85%
1988 | 27,412  | 40.37%  | 40,174  | 59.17% | 315  | 0.46%
1984 | 35,121  | 46.41%  | 40,208  | 53.13% | 343  | 0.45%
1980 | 34,788  | 48.47% | 30,045  | 41.86%  | 6,942  | 9.67%
1976 | 34,007  | 47.72%  | 35,994  | 50.51% | 1,260  | 1.77%
1972 | 37,548  | 53.39% | 32,529  | 46.25%  | 253  | 0.36%
1968 | 30,404  | 43.35%  | 34,506  | 49.20% | 5,230  | 7.46%
1964 | 23,714  | 36.22%  | 41,759  | 63.78% | 0  | 0.00%
1960 | 32,534  | 48.96%  | 33,812  | 50.88% | 108  | 0.16%
1956 | 31,342  | 51.72% | 29,145  | 48.09%  | 118  | 0.19%
1952 | 32,933  | 54.07% | 27,879  | 45.77%  | 100  | 0.16%
1948 | 22,192  | 47.01%  | 24,542  | 51.98% | 477  | 1.01%
1944 | 23,980  | 44.19%  | 30,102  | 55.48% | 180  | 0.33%
1940 | 25,629  | 41.95%  | 35,240  | 57.67% | 232  | 0.38%
1936 | 19,487  | 36.75%  | 32,741  | 61.74% | 799  | 1.51%
1932 | 21,205  | 45.55%  | 24,676  | 53.01% | 668  | 1.44%
1928 | 27,246  | 65.22% | 14,334  | 34.31%  | 196  | 0.47%
1924 | 20,563  | 57.69% | 3,631  | 10.19%  | 11,453  | 32.13%
1920 | 21,908  | 71.32% | 5,208  | 16.95%  | 3,603  | 11.73%
1916 | 16,169  | 53.17% | 10,914  | 35.89%  | 3,327  | 10.94%
1912 | 6,506  | 42.55% | 3,997  | 26.14%  | 4,786  | 31.30%
1908 | 8,196  | 55.45% | 4,739  | 32.06%  | 1,846  | 12.49%
1904 | 8,152  | 61.74% | 2,156  | 16.33%  | 2,895  | 21.93%
1900 | 8,299  | 61.22% | 4,786  | 35.31%  | 471  | 3.47%
1896 | 7,323  | 60.07% | 4,692  | 38.49%  | 176  | 1.44%
1892 | 5,052  | 52.38% | 4,034  | 41.82%  | 559  | 5.80%

## See also

[edit | edit source]

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Rock Island County, Illinois
* Quad Cities International Airport

## Footnotes

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1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ United States Office of Management and Budget. "Update of Statistical Area Definitions and Guidance on Their Uses" (PDF). pp. 5, 36. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2006. Retrieved July 21, 2006.
4. ^ Rock Island, the island, History: Introduction Archived January 14, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, US Army Corps of Engineers
5. ^ "Castle Rock State Park". Illinois DNR. Archived from the original on April 1, 2007. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
6. ^ a b "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
7. ^ a b "Monthly Averages for Rock Island, Illinois". The Weather Channel. Archived from the original on November 12, 2009. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
8. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
9. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
10. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
11. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
12. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
13. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
14. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
15. ^ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. March 30, 1985. 98 Archived February 23, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. "Head Office: PO Box 949, Quad City Airport, Moline, Illinois 61265, USA."
16. ^ "Deere & Company World Headquarters". Retrieved March 21, 2019.
17. ^ "Rock Island County Clerk - Elections - Previous Election Results".
18. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.

## Further reading

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* Portrait and Biographical Album of Rock Island County, Illinois: Containing Full-Page Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the County, Together with Portraits and Biographies of All the Governors of Illinois, and of the Presidents of the United States; Also Containing a History of the County, from its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time. Chicago: Biographical Publishing Co., 1885.

## External links

[edit | edit source]

* Official county website
* Rock Island County Historical Society

Places adjacent to Rock Island County, Illinois

| Scott County, Iowa | Clinton County, Iowa | Whiteside County

|
|

|  |
Muscatine County, Iowa |

File:Pfeil links.svgRock Island County, Illinois

|  |
Louisa County, Iowa | Mercer County | Henry County

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States

County seat: Rock Island

Cities|

* East Moline
* Moline
* Rock Island
* Silvis

File:Map of Illinois highlighting Rock Island County.svgMap of Illinois highlighting Rock Island County

Villages|

* Andalusia
* Carbon Cliff
* Coal Valley‡
* Cordova
* Hampton
* Hillsdale
* Milan
* Oak Grove
* Port Byron
* Rapids City
* Reynolds‡

Townships|

* Andalusia
* Blackhawk
* Bowling
* Buffalo Prairie
* Canoe Creek
* Coal Valley
* Coe
* Cordova
* Drury
* Edgington
* Hampton
* Moline
* Port Byron
* Rock Island
* Rural
* South Moline
* South Rock Island
* Zuma

CDPs|

* Barstow
* Buffalo Prairie
* Campbell's Island
* Coyne Center
* Edgington
* Joslin
* Illinois City
* Rock Island Arsenal
* Taylor Ridge

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

Quad Cities and surrounding metropolitan area of Iowa and Illinois

Iowa|

* Scott County
* Muscatine County
* Clinton County
* Davenport
* Bettendorf
* Blue Grass
* Buffalo
* Dixon
* Donahue
* Eldridge
* Le Claire
* Long Grove
* Maysville
* McCausland
* New Liberty
* Panorama Park
* Park View
* Pleasant Valley Township
* Princeton
* Riverdale

Illinois|

* Henry County
* Mercer County
* Rock Island County
* Moline
* Rock Island
* East Moline
* Aledo
* Andalusia
* Annawan
* Barstow
* Bishop Hill
* Buffalo Prairie
* Cambridge
* Carbon Cliff
* Cleveland
* Coal Valley
* Colona
* Coyne Center
* Dayton
* Edgington
* Galva
* Geneseo
* Green River
* Hampton
* Hillsdale
* Hooppole
* Kewanee
* Illinois City
* Matherville
* Milan
* North Henderson
* Nekoma
* Oak Grove
* Ophiem
* Orion
* Osco
* Port Byron
* Reynolds
* Sherrard
* Silvis
* Swedona
* Woodhull

Attractions|

* American Pickers
* Ballet Quad Cities
* Bally's Quad Cities
* Bix 7 Road Race
* Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival
* Credit Island
* Davenport Skybridge
* Downtown Davenport
* Festival of Trees
* Figge Art Museum
* Iowa 80
* Rhythm City Casino Resort
* John Deere World Headquarters
* John Deere Classic
* Lock and Dam No. 14
* Lock and Dam No. 15
* Mississippi River
* Modern Woodmen Park
* Moline station
* Niabi Zoo
* NorthPark Mall
* Putnam Museum
* Quad Cities Waterfront Convention Center
* Quad City Air Show
* Quad City Botanical Center
* Quad City Downs
* Quad Cities International Airport
* Quad City-style pizza
* Quad City Symphony Orchestra
* River Music Experience
* RiverCenter
* Rock Island Arsenal
* SouthPark Mall
* Vibrant Arena at The MARK
* The Freight House
* TPC at Deere Run
* Village of East Davenport
* Walnut Grove Pioneer Village

Colleges|

* Augustana College
* Black Hawk College
* Kaplan University
* Palmer College of Chiropractic
* St. Ambrose University
* Scott Community College
* Western Illinois University-Quad Cities

Historical Places|

Illinois
Henry County
Mercer County
Rock Island County
Iowa
Scott County

Davenport

* v
* t
* e

State of Illinois

Springfield (capital)

Topics|

* Index
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Regions|

* American Bottom
* Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area
* Central Illinois
* Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area
* Chicago metropolitan area
* Collar counties
* Corn Belt
* Driftless Area
* Forgottonia
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* Metro East
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* Mississippi Alluvial Plain
* North Shore
* Northern Illinois
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* Peoria metropolitan area
* Quad Cities
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* Southern Illinois
* Wabash Valley

Municipalities|

* Alton/Granite City/Edwardsville
* Arlington Heights/Palatine
* Aurora/Naperville/Oswego/Plainfield
* Bartlett/Hanover Park/Streamwood
* Belleville/East St. Louis/Collinsville/O'Fallon
* Berwyn/Cicero
* Bloomington/Normal
* Bolingbrook/Romeoville
* Buffalo Grove/Wheeling
* Calumet City
* Canton
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* Centralia
* Champaign/Urbana
* Charleston/Mattoon
* Chicago
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* Crystal Lake/Algonquin
* Danville
* Decatur
* DeKalb/Sycamore
* Des Plaines/Mount Prospect/Park Ridge
* Dixon
* Downers Grove/Woodridge
* Effingham
* Elgin/Carpentersville
* Elmhurst/Lombard/Addison
* Evanston/Skokie
* Freeport
* Galesburg
* Glenview/Northbrook
* Harrisburg
* Jacksonville
* Joliet
* Kankakee/Bradley/Bourbonnais
* Lincoln
* Macomb
* Marion/Herrin
* Moline/East Moline/Rock Island
* Mount Vernon
* Mundelein
* Oak Lawn
* Oak Park
* Orland Park/Tinley Park
* Ottawa/Streator/LaSalle/Peru
* Peoria/Pekin/East Peoria/Morton/Washington
* Pontiac
* Quincy
* Rochelle
* Rockford/Belvidere/Machesney Park/Loves Park
* St. Charles
* Schaumburg/Hoffman Estates/Elk Grove Village
* Springfield
* Sterling/Rock Falls
* Taylorville
* Waukegan/North Chicago/Gurnee
* Wheaton

Counties|

* Adams
* Alexander
* Bond
* Boone
* Brown
* Bureau
* Calhoun
* Carroll
* Cass
* Champaign
* Christian
* Clark
* Clay
* Clinton
* Coles
* Cook
* Crawford
* Cumberland
* DeKalb
* DeWitt
* Douglas
* DuPage
* Edgar
* Edwards
* Effingham
* Fayette
* Ford
* Franklin
* Fulton
* Gallatin
* Greene
* Grundy
* Hamilton
* Hancock
* Hardin
* Henderson
* Henry
* Iroquois
* Jackson
* Jasper
* Jefferson
* Jersey
* Jo Daviess
* Johnson
* Kane
* Kankakee
* Kendall
* Knox
* Lake
* LaSalle
* Lawrence
* Lee
* Livingston
* Logan
* Macon
* Macoupin
* Madison
* Marion
* Marshall
* Mason
* Massac
* McDonough
* McHenry
* McLean
* Menard
* Mercer
* Monroe
* Montgomery
* Morgan
* Moultrie
* Ogle
* Peoria
* Perry
* Piatt
* Pike
* Pope
* Pulaski
* Putnam
* Randolph
* Richland
* Rock Island
* Saline
* Sangamon
* Schuyler
* Scott
* Shelby
* St. Clair
* Stark
* Stephenson
* Tazewell
* Union
* Vermilion
* Wabash
* Warren
* Washington
* Wayne
* White
* Whiteside
* Will
* Williamson
* Winnebago
* Woodford

Coordinates: 41°28′N 90°34′W﻿ / ﻿41.47°N 90.57°W﻿ / 41.47; -90.57
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