Bettendorf lies in the original Wisconsin Territory, which the United States bought from the Sac and Fox Indians after defeating them in the Black Hawk War.

The first European-American settlers established a village they called Lilienthal, after an early tavern and dance hall.

At that time, the residents were predominantly German immigrants and worked as farmers, skilled laborers, and small business owners.

Circa 1900, the town gave William and Joseph Bettendorf 70 acres (280,000 m2) of riverfront land on the condition that they move their iron wagon business from Davenport to Gilbert.

chose Riverdale, an enclave of Bettendorf, for construction of the world's largest aluminum mill.

The huge mill, and the attendant developments from it, created thousands of jobs and greatly increased growth in Bettendorf's population, which has continued to the present day.

The first modern-day riverboat casinos in the United States were launched in Bettendorf on April 1, 1991 by local businessman Bernard Goldstein.

In 2000, Missman, Stanley & Associates prepared a Comprehensive Storm Water study on all 14 of the city's drainage ways.

The plan includes the repair and cleaning of roadside pipes and ditches, replacing small culverts with larger ones and maintaining the system on a regular basis.

Routine inspections are performed during dry weather to detect and address illicit discharges.

The 1.2 billion dollar bridge project began construction in July 2017 and is expected to be completed in 2021.

The Neil Armstrong School is the only one in the district to operate on a "balanced calendar" of year-round, full-time use.

Located inside the city limits are four of the district's six elementary schools (Pleasant View, Riverdale Heights, Hopewell and Forest Grove), while Pleasant Valley High School and the administrative center are in nearby Riverdale.

Junior high students attend Pleasant Valley Junior High School, on the outskirts of LeClaire, while LeClaire elementary students go to either Cody or Bridgeview Elementary Schools.

Board members are elected from seven director districts, five within Bettendorf's city limits and two others serving LeClaire-area residents.

[21] Two private colleges are also located in Bettendorf: Upper Iowa University a private university based in Fayette, Iowa, operates its Quad Cities Center[22] in Bettendorf near the Davenport border; the Quad Cities Campus of Brown Mackie College, a for-profit college based in Salina, Kansas, is located nearby.