A blog, dedicated to real estate and finding great places to live, ranked Rock Island more exciting than Chicago on its list of the 10 most exciting places in Illinois.
"If you thought Chicago was the only thing going on in Illinois, think again," said the Movoto Blog, a site dedicated to "the lighter side" of real estate.
Movoto limited candidates for the list to the 100 most populous places in the state. Then they used Census data and business listings to gather the number of nightlife venues (bars, clubs, comedy clubs), live music venues, fast food restaurants (fewer is better), non-fast-food restaurants (more is better), active life options per capita and percentage of young residents between 18 and 34 years old.
The blog ranked Evanston as the most exciting place in Illinois, followed by Woodstock and then Rock Island. Chicago ranked fourth and Moline ranked 71st.
Rock Island ranked tops in nightlife locations per capita, and number six in music venues per capita. The blog credited "a ton of comedy clubs and off the grid venues; places like the Blacklist Theater Company, Hookah House, and ComedySportz Quad Cities."
Restaurants also played a big part in pushing Rock Island near the top of the list, "including everything from Italian and French to more southern fare like Mexican, and some of the best barbecue in the area at Jim's Rib Haven," the report said.