Around 2000 people make their home in this sleepy little town resting on the banks of the Mississippi River. It's often been wondered if Rapids City is the inspiration behind Bruce Springsteen's song 'Small Town'.

Located in the centre of the American Midwest, it lies on the outskirts of a medium-sized metropolitan area called the Quad Cities, comprising the cities of Rock Island, Moline, Davenport and Bettendorf. Up-river it's bordered by Port Byron; down-river it's bordered by Hampton, and across the river lies Le Claire, Iowa. If one crosses the Interstate 80 bridge in the westbound lane, Rapids City can be seen out of the right-hand window, in all its small-town splendour.

Nobody famous comes from Rapids City and it's just as likely that no celebrity has ever been there. The residents are content to gossip with the postmaster when they go to pick up their mail - there is, after all, no mail delivery in a town so small. Rapids City will never make the headlines in the same way as Washington, New York or LA, but it stands as a representation of the rest of America - no bright lights or power-suited executives, just regular folk.

A Quick Tour of Rapids City

The business district consists of the following establishments (in order of appearance): a car wash, a liquor store, a motorcycle shop, a bar, a gas station, a restaurant which has sported the same 'elephant-blaster' rifle on its wall for at least the past 15 years, a double-wide trailer that houses the town's sole financial institution, an auto parts store, another gas station, and another bar.

Visitors will certainly enjoy the view by the riverside and Rapids City's only restaurant provides a decent breakfast at an affordable price. The locals are keen to recommend the monstrous cinnamon rolls. A nice tenderloin sandwich is available at the bar closest to the bridge for evening meals. Fuel is best purchased at the second gas station, as it's invariably cheaper. A cash point is located in the parking lot of the bank.