Quincy

History

Quincy's location along the Mississippi River has attracted settlers for centuries. The French became the first European presence to colonize the region, after Louis Jolliet, Jacques Marquette, Jamison Knapp and the La Salle Expeditions explored the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Fur goods became a valuable commodity of the region, and European explorers and merchants alike were attracted to the prospects of the growing fur trade of the North American frontier. The Mississippi River, acting as a superhighway for transporting goods downstream, became the area's most vital transportation asset. Following the events of the Seven Years' War, which ended in 1763, Great Britain took control of New France, and the area that is now Illinois became part of the Indian Reserve. After the American Revolutionary War a few decades later, the area became part of the Northwest Territory of the United States, and eventually the State of Illinois in 1818. After the War of 1812, the American government granted military tracts to veterans as a means to help populate the West. Peter Flinn, having acquired the land from veteran Mark McGowan for his military service in 1819, ended up selling of land acquisitions to Moravia, New York native John Wood for $60 (~$ in ). John Wood later founded Quincy, which at the time was coined Bluffs, Illinois. In 1825, Bluffs renamed their community Quincy and became the seat of government for Adams County, both named after newly elected President John Quincy Adams. In addition, they originally named the town square John Square until eventually changing its name to Washington Square. In December 1830, Peter Felt, who had recently arrived with his family from New Hampshire, and others held the first service at what would become the first congregational…

Geography

Quincy is located at (39.932335, -91.388737). It is adjacent to the Mississippi River and Quincy Bay, a large inlet of water fed by Cedar and Homan Creeks. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Quincy has a total area of , of which (or 99.73%) is land and (or 0.27%) is water. The city is situated on bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. Adjacent to Quincy, on the Missouri side of the river, is West Quincy, Missouri and a vast floodplain used primarily for farming. East of Quincy lies the Quincy Hills geographic region, a region of hills that are similar to the Lincoln Hills in Missouri, where a mixture of rolling hills, woods, and farming shape the landscape. Flat prairie lie north of Quincy and as the Mississippi turns sharply to the southwest; bluffs, floodplain, and farmland lie to the south and southwest of the city. The Quincy micropolitan area includes Adams County, Illinois and Lewis County, Missouri and together hold a population of 75,546. Due to its proximity to Hannibal, Missouri, the two communities have been bulked into Quincy-Hannibal, IL-MO Combined Statistical Area which holds approximately 116,000 residents. As of the 2010 Census, it is currently ranked as the 156th most populated CSA in the United States. Geographically, Quincy is the largest city and central hub of the tri-state area encompassing western Illinois, northeastern Missouri, and southeastern Iowa. Quincy has several suburbs. North Quincy is the city's most populated suburb and lies to the north, beyond a rail line and a large creek. Hickory Grove, Illinois is an edge town and lies adjacent to Quincy to its east, bordered by Interstate 172. The town of Marblehead lies to the south, and West Quincy to the west. The Hannibal–Quincy micropolitan area is also technically…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,064
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,708
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,630
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  1,483
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,457
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,363
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,336
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,231

Most recent

• M 2.59 — 2022-12-05
  4 km SW of Madison, Missouri
• M 2.9 — 2004-02-08
  6 km SSW of Stoutsville, Missouri