Cedar Falls

Cedar Falls
The City of Cedar Falls is a preferable destination for visitors as it has a lot to offer! There is a wide variety of things to do and places to go, and lots of experiences to enjoy here.

Exciting annual events, performing and visual arts, permanent attractions, and year round outdoor recreation allows the tourists and visitors to explore the area with a huge collection of leisure activities. Cedar Falls has earned many Community and Departmental Awards, where the Tourism Department has helped a lot.

Cedar Falls is a populated city located in Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States, at latitude 42.528 and longitude -92.445. The elevation is 879 feet. The population was 36,145 at the 2000 census.

The city is home to one of Iowa's three public universities, the University of Northern Iowa, and is a great place to visit and live in. it comprises warm and welcoming residents and provides cultural, historical and recreational opportunities to its guests.

Cedar Falls was incorporated in 1845 and the first permanent residents were William Sturgis and his brother-in-law, Erasmus Adams, when the city was known as Sturgis Falls. These settlers were attracted to the area because of its timber, prairie for farming, and the Cedar River for its drinking, transportation, and power potential.

However, in 1850, John and Dempsey Overman, together with John Barrick, bought out the Sturgis family and renamed the community, Cedar Falls. Although, the city's founders are honored each year with a three day community-wide celebration named in their honor, the Sturgis Falls Celebration.

Between 1855 and 1860, Cedar Falls grew from approximately 450 persons to just over 1,500. Shortly thereafter, the area began to develop, and the following firsts occurred including a post office in 1850, schoolhouse in 1853, and railroad connection in 1861.

The city had developed as a milling and industrial center prior to the Civil War because of the availability of water power. The Civil War Soldiers' Orphans Home established in Cedar Falls, 1863, and changed the direction in which the city developed when, following the war; it became the first building on the campus of the Iowa State Normal School, which is now known as the University of Northern Iowa.

In 1911, prominent landmarks and community facilities were being constructed, which included, Viking Pump, Broom Factory, Sartori Hospital and the Cedar Falls Bible Conference. During 1950 to 1980, the City of Cedar Falls had one of the fastest growing municipal populations in the State of Iowa.

This was spurred primarily by economic growth in the Metropolitan Area: namely John Deere and Company, Rath Packing, and Chamberlain Manufacturing all in Waterloo; a tremendous growth in UNI enrollment; and emphasis by civic leaders on quality of life factors in the community. Also during this time, and up to 1990, open enrollment of students and the Price Lab School at UNI were very important issues facing Cedar Falls.

Today, Cedar Falls has developed so much that it takes pride in its schools, its relationship with UNI, strong leadership, and development being experienced by the community. The city is culturally very rich and has established the Cedar Falls Art and Culture Board, which oversees the operation of the City's Cultural Division and the James & Meryl Hearst Center for the Arts.

The city hosts famous annual events like Iowa Boat and Vacation Show, National Wrestling Coaches Association Duals, E/xpo in the UNI Dome-Indoor Electric R/C Fun-Fly, Hawkeye Farm Show, Eastern Iowa Sports Show, UNI Antiques and Collectibles Show, Waverly Horse Sale, USA Wrestling National Tournament, and the list just continues!Cedar Falls also has a wide variety of attractions for its visitors:
Outdoor/ Recreation? Cedar Valley Arboretum & Botanic Gardens? Cedar Valley Recreational Trails? Cedar Falls Raceway? The Falls Aquatic Center? Hearst Sculpture Garden, etc.
Museums? Behrens-Rapp Tourism Information Station? Bluedorn Science Imaginarium? George Wyth House & Viking Pump Museum? Grout Museum District? Iowa Band Museum? University Museum
Theatre/ Performing Arts? Black Hawk Children's Theatre? Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center? Metropolitan Chorale? Theatre UNI? Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony, etc.
Art Galleries/ Visual Arts? Galleria De Paco? Waterloo Center for the Arts, etc
Venues/ Arenas? Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center? McLeod Center? National Cattle Congress? UNI-Dome, etc.
Agricultural/ Industrial? Antique Acres? Hansen's Farm Fresh Dairy? Silos & Smokestacks, etc.

The City of Cedar Falls is a great place to visit, so book your tickets to it soon! Dont forget to take a cyber-tour of historically significant sites in Black Hawk County.

Make sure to take a walk through the Main street as well, where numerous restaurants, live music venues, specialty and art shops, galleries, historical attractions, cultural events and professional services are waiting just for you!