Best Web Design in Quincy, IL (2026)

Web Design for Quincy, Illinois

Quincy is a Mississippi River bluff city and the seat of Adams County, long known as Illinois's "Gem City." Shaped heavily by 19th-century German immigration and steamboat-and-rail commerce, it was once Illinois's second-largest city and today holds one of the densest concentrations of preserved 19th-century architecture in the Midwest, with more than 3,600 structures contributing to the National Register of Historic Places.

AppWT works with Quincy, IL businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Quincy

Also known as. The Gem City. Gem City of the West.

History. Settled in 1819 by John Wood, who purchased 160 acres; the settlement of "Bluffs" was renamed Quincy in 1825 after President John Quincy Adams (Adams County shares the naming). Incorporated as a town in 1834 and as a city in 1840, with Ebenezer Moore as first mayor. In 1838-1839 Quincy sheltered Mormon refugees fleeing extermination-order persecution in Missouri, an act of relief still remembered in LDS history. Hosted the sixth Lincoln-Douglas debate on October 13, 1858, in Washington Park, drawing a crowd of roughly 12,000, one of the largest of the series. Founder John Wood became Governor of Illinois in 1860; the legislature briefly allowed him to govern from Quincy, giving the city a claim as a temporary second state capital. A stop on the Underground Railroad; the Dr. Richard Eells House (built 1835) is a documented station and National Historic Landmark.

Local economy. Blessing Hospital (part of Blessing Health) is the city's largest employer, alongside Quincy Public Schools. Manufacturing anchors the economy: Titan International (wheels/tires), Knapheide Manufacturing (truck bodies, founded in Quincy), and Gardner Denver. Broadcast-transmitter industry hub: GatesAir and Broadcast Electronics are based in Quincy. Niemann Foods (County Market and Save-A-Lot grocery operator) is headquartered in Quincy. Serves as the northernmost port on the Mississippi River with 12-month barge traffic, a long-standing transportation asset.

Culture and community. The Dogwood Festival and Parade each May celebrates the city's blossoming dogwood trees, a decades-old tradition. The Midsummer Arts Faire (rebranded Q-Fest) and the annual Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament are signature summer events. The Quincy Society of Fine Arts, founded in 1947 by George M. Irwin, is cited as one of the first community arts councils in the United States. Local food staples include the Maid-Rite loose-meat sandwich and Underbrink's Bakery angel food cake, both longtime hometown favorites. Notable people from Quincy include Paul Tibbets (pilot of the Enola Gay), actress Mary Astor, and TV personality Jonathan Van Ness of Netflix's Queer Eye.

What makes Quincy distinct. During the record 1993 Mississippi flood (river cresting about 32 feet), Quincy's high bluffs kept the city dry while West Quincy, Missouri, directly across the river, was completely submerged. Augustus Tolton, recognized as the first African-American Roman Catholic priest in the United States, ministered in the Quincy area. Confederate general George Pickett studied law in Quincy in the 1840s. Quincy has been named to Expedia's list of "America's Most Artistic Towns" and marketed as a small-city arts destination.

Historic Mississippi River port city and Adams County seat known for its 19th-century architecture.

Quincy Landmarks and Local Life

• Villa Kathrine - Moorish-style Mediterranean mansion above the Mississippi River, now the city's visitor center
• Quincy Museum - Local history museum housed in the 1891 Richard F. Newcomb mansion
• John Wood Mansion - Greek Revival home of city founder and Illinois governor John Wood
• Washington Park - Downtown square that hosted the sixth Lincoln-Douglas debate in 1858
• Indian Mounds Park - Riverside park containing prehistoric Native American burial mounds

Quincy at a Glance

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023.

• Median household income: About $56,372
• Adults with a bachelor degree or higher: About 26.6%
• Housing: About 65% of housing units are owner-occupied
• Housing: Roughly 69% of homes are single-family detached houses