the Mississippi River. Adjacent to Quincy, on the Missouri side of the river, is West Quincy, Missouri and a vast floodplain used primarily for farming. East of Quincy lies the Quincy Hills geographic region, a region of hills that are similar to the Lincoln Hills in Missouri, where a mixture of rolling hills, woods, and farming shape the landscape. Flat prairie lie north of Quincy and, as the Mississippi turns sharply to the southwest; bluffs, floodplain, and farmland lie to the south and southwest of the city. The Quincy micropolitan area includes Adams County, Illinois and Lewis County, Missouri and together hold a population of 75,546. Due to its proximity to Hannibal, Missouri, the two communities have been bulked into Quincy-Hannibal, IL-MO Combined Statistical Area which holds approximately 116,000 residents. As of the 2010 Census, it is currently ranked as the 156th most populated CSA in the United States. Geographically, Quincy is the largest city and central hub of the Tri-State region, encompassing western Illinois, northeastern Missouri, and southeastern Iowa. Quincy has several suburbs. North Quincy is the city's most populated suburb and lies to the north, beyond a rail line and a large creek. Hickory Grove, Illinois is an edge town and lies adjacent to Quincy to its east, bordered by Interstate 172. The town of Marblehead lies to the south, and West Quincy to the west. The Hannibal–Quincy micropolitan area is also technically not located within the nearby St. Louis metropolitan, but are regionally associated due to their proximity and accessibility to Greater St. Louis. Sister cities Quincy, Illinois has two sister cities. Herford, Germany Jiaxing, Zhejiang, China Economy Companies based in Quincy include Niemann Foods, Gardner Denver and The Knapheide Manufacturing Company. GatesAir Television and Radio Transmission has a facility in town, as does Broadcast Electronics. Titan Wheel (Titan International) is also located in Quincy. Blessing Hospital, the Quincy Public Schools and Titan are the top three employers in the area. In 1978, Quincy formed the Great River Economic Development Foundation, a private, non-profit organization designed to retain existing businesses and attract new ones to the area. This organization has been instrumental in putting the Quincy-Hannibal Area on the map as a distinct region in conjunction with the major metropolitan areas nearby such as Chicago, IL, St. Louis, MO, and even Kansas City, MO. As a whole, Quincy falls from average to just above average in several