Riverdale, IA

Riverdale is a Scott County city in the Quad Cities, with 379 residents in the 2020 census. Bettendorf wraps around three sides, while the Mississippi River forms the fourth edge and Duck Creek marks part of the western boundary. U.S. 67 and Canadian Pacific tracks run through the city. Arconic’s aluminum rolling mill occupies a large riverside tract, and Scott Community College’s Belmont Road Campus sits nearby. City parks and trails fill the spaces between industrial land, river, and neighborhoods.

ATTRC T J F 8 3 Talk / Public domain

Riverdale began as Iowana Dairy Farms, established in 1912 by Col. G.W. French. It incorporated in 1950, and the Iowa Supreme Court upheld its independence from Bettendorf in 1953 after a three-year challenge. A volunteer fire department has served since 1960. Today, the Duck Creek Bicycle Path and Mississippi River Trail link the city to the broader Quad Cities, while Volunteer Square, VanGundy Park, and other local green spaces give the compact city its own destinations. Riverdale is shaped by a mill, a river, and one unusually consequential boundary fight.