The name "Quad Cities" can be confusing because "quad" means four. People began calling the area the Quad Cities in the 1960s, before Bettendorf was large enough to be considered a "city". By the time Bettendorf was large enough, people were so used to the name "Quad Cities" that they decided to keep it. (Even earlier, the area had been called the "Tri-Cities", before East Moline became large enough to be considered a city.)