Editing Quad Cities (section)

===Evolution of an identity===
[[File:Quad Cities 1919 Automobile Blue Book.jpg|thumb|Map of the "Tri-Cities" in 1919]]
After the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], the region began to gain a common identity. The river towns that were thoughtfully planned and competently led flourished, while other settlements, usually get-rich-quick schemes for speculators, failed to pan out. By [[World War I]], the towns of Davenport, Rock Island, and Moline had begun to style themselves as the "Tri-Cities", a cluster of three more-or-less equally-sized river communities growing around the small bend of the Mississippi River where it flows west. But with the growth of [[Rock Island County]], during the 1930s the term "Quad Cities" came into vogue, as East Moline was given "equal status". Despite the fact that the region had earned the name "Quad Cities", the [[National Basketball League (United States)|National Basketball League]] and then the [[National Basketball Association]] had a franchise in Moline, Illinois, from 1946 to 1951 called the "[[Tri-Cities Blackhawks]]". Then, with the opening of an [[Alcoa]] (now [[Arconic]]) plant east of Davenport in 1948, the town of Bettendorf underwent so much growth that many people in the community discussed the adoption of the name "Quint Cities",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.quadcities.com/about|title=About|access-date=February 3, 2016|date=2008-09-19}}</ref> but by this time, the name "Quad Cities" had become known well beyond the area, and "Quint Cities" never caught on, despite the efforts of WOC-TV (now [[KWQC-TV]]) and others. Consequently, when Bettendorf passed East Moline in size, there was some debate about whether Bettendorf had "displaced" East Moline. Instead, local officials, such as the Chamber of Commerce,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://quadcitieschamber.com/|title=Quad Cities Chamber |website=Quad Cities Chamber|access-date=July 25, 2018}}</ref> have chosen an inclusive approach, maintaining the name "Quad Cities" yet including all five cities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.quadcities.com/city/|title=Cities|date=September 20, 2008|access-date=July 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726071859/https://www.quadcities.com/city/|archive-date=July 26, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>