Rapids City, IL

Rapids City is a Rock Island County village on the Mississippi at the upper end of the Rock Island Rapids, where a grist and saw mill helped start the settlement. It was laid out in 1838 and incorporated in 1875; neighboring coal mines then brought stores, trades, and a local mining company to the village. Today I-80 crosses into Iowa nearby, Riverdale Community Unit School District 100 serves local students, and village parks include a boat ramp, scenic overlook, and part of the Great River Trail. Rapids City is a river village with a working past written in flour, lumber, and coal, and a present-day map that points toward the Quad Cities.