Cedar Rapids, Iowa
From Freepedia
Image:Linncountycourthouse.jpg Image:Cedarrapidsiowa.jpg Cedar Rapids is a city located in Linn County, Iowa. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 120,758. It is the county seat of Linn County. The city is named after the Cedar River. Cedar Rapids is the home of Coe College, Mount Mercy College, Hamilton College, and Kirkwood Community College.
Cedar Rapids has been residence to famous figures, including American artist Grant Wood, the Wright Brothers, journalist and historian William L. Shirer, writer and photographer Carl Van Vechten, and Dr. Alexander Lippisch. See also Notable natives on this page.
A unique attribute of Cedar Rapids is that its city hall and county courthouse are located on Mays Island, an island on the Cedar River running through the city. Paris, France and Osaka, Japan are believed to be the only other cities in the world to have their municipal buildings located on an island in a river.
Cedar Rapids is known as the City of Five Seasons, where the fifth season is "a time to enjoy." The symbol of the five seasons is the Tree of Five Seasons sculpture in downtown Cedar Rapids. The name "Five Seasons" and representations of the sculpture appear in many forms.
- Cedar Rapids is home to a large cereal industry, with five major manufacturers located on the outskirts of the city. Each one gives off a distinct scent, leading to the city's unofficial nickname, "The City of Five Smells".
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Geography
Cedar Rapids is located at 41°58'59" North, 91°40'7" West (41.983100, -91.668529)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 166.8 km² (64.4 mi²). 163.5 km² (63.1 mi²) of it is land and 3.3 km² (1.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.99% water.
ZIP codes
Cedar Rapids is divided into fourteen ZIP Codes. Mays Island and the downtown area are covered by 52401, 52498, and 52499. The northeast quadrant is covered by 52402, 52411, and 52497. The southeast quadrant is covered by 52403. The southwest quadrant is covered by 52404. The northwest quadrant is covered by 52405. Post Office boxes are covered by ZIP codes 52406, 52407, 52408, 52409, and 52410.
Streets and addresses
The city is divided into four quadrants. For addresses, from north to south the city is divided by 1st Avenue (Business Highway 151), and east to west by the Cedar River. A street address in Cedar Rapids usually consists of the house number, the street name, and the quadrant. For example, 123 Example St NW. The quadrants are one of four labels; NE, SE, SW, or NW. The only exception would be government addresses on Mays Island, which will have either E or W as the quadrant label.
It is noted by natives that the methodology for quadrant designation leaves something to be desired, since 1st Avenue and the Cedar River (as well as the downtown area) tend to run diagonally instead of straight north/south/east/west. Thus, the area designated NE is geographically the northern section from east to west. NW is a small western contingent, SE is the eastern contingent, and SW is the southern contingent. There are some areas in western Cedar Rapids where some NW addresses are actually south of some SW addresses.
Transportation
Cedar Rapids is served by The Eastern Iowa Airport, a regional airport that connects with other regional and international airports.
Interstate 380, part of the Avenue of the Saints, runs north-south through Cedar Rapids. U.S. Highways 30, 151, and 218 and Iowa Highways 13 and 100 also serve the city.
Cedar Rapids is served by four railroads. They are the Union Pacific, the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway (Crandic), the Canadian National, and the Iowa Northern. The Crandic and Iowa Interstate Railroad are both headquartered in Cedar Rapids. The Iowa Interstate reaches the city via the Crandic tracks, running a daily train from Rock Island, Illinois to Cedar Rapids.
The city is also served by public transportation consisting of buses and taxis, as well as a series of skywalks connecting several downtown buildings for foot traffic.
Landmarks
The Tree of Five Seasons sculpture is the city's centerpiece, located where 1st Avenue crosses the Cedar River. Also located near the center of the city along the Cedar River is the historical Czech Village, a business district composed of several ethnic businesses and historical buildings, thus helping to maintain the city's Czech heritage. As well as the Czech Village, Cedar Rapids is home to National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. In 2003, the African-American Historical Museum and Cultural Center of Iowa opened its doors. Cedar Rapids is also home to the historical 26 acre (105,000 m²) Brucemore Estate, on which sits a 21-room mansion.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 120,758 people, 49,820 households, and 30,838 families residing in the city. The population density is 738.4/km² (1,912.6/mi²). There are 52,240 housing units at an average density of 319.4/km² (827.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 91.86% White, 3.71% African American, 0.25% Native American, 1.77% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 1.79% from two or more races. 1.71% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 49,820 households out of which 29.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% are married couples living together, 10.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% are non-families. 30.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.36 and the average family size is 2.96.
In the city the population is spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $43,704, and the median income for a family is $54,286. Males have a median income of $37,217 versus $26,251 for females. The per capita income for the city is $22,589. 7.5% of the population and 4.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 8.8% of those under the age of 18 and 6.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Government
City commission government
Currently, Cedar Rapids uses the city commission form of government. It is one of the few larger cities to operate under this model. In Cedar Rapids, the council is made up of a public safety commissioner, a streets commissioner, a finance commissioner, a parks commissioner, and a mayor. The council members work on a full-time basis, and serve two year terms. The council members are considered department heads. The current mayor of Cedar Rapids is Paul Pate. After 2005 the city will change to a mayor-council-manager form of government.
New form of government
In 2005, a movement began to change the commission form. A panel was created to study the issue, and has recommended that voters be presented with three options:
- Stay with the current commission form of government.
- Adopt a "strong mayor form" where the council would be part time, the mayor would be full time, and a city manager would run the day to day affairs of the city.
- Adopt a "weak mayor form" of government, in this form the mayor and council would both work on a part time basis. A full time city manager would run the day to day operations of the city.
In 1994, voters were also asked if they would like to change the form of government. At that time, voters decided to keep the commission form.
On June 14, 2005, voters went to the polls to decide whether to adopt a new form of government or continue with the commission form. This time voters decided to change the government — 17,064 voted to change the government to 7,741 who wanted to stay with the commission form.
The new form of government will feature a part time council made of eight members and a part time mayor. The city will be divided into five wards, and one council member will be elected from each ward. The remaining three members will be elected on an at-large basis. Initially the terms for some of the council members will be shorter so that the elections will be staggered. In the following election cycle the term for the council members will be four years long. The mayor will also have a four year term. The mayor will be paid $30,000 and the members of the council will be paid $15,000.
The current city council still has to decide how to best divide the city into five wards. Once this is done candidates will be able to run for election in November. After this election, the new council and mayor will hire a city manager to run the day to day affairs of the city. Department heads will report to the city manager, who will have the authority to hire and fire these heads - except in the case of the police and fire chiefs which would require council approval for hiring and firing.
Business and industry
Cedar Rapids is home to several large businesses and industries, including Alliant Energy, Rockwell Collins, Quaker Oats, AEGON, McLeodUSA, and ADM, just to name a few, along with hundreds of smaller and personal businesses. One reason behind the high number of large industries is the fact that Cedar Rapids is part of the Iowa Technology Corridor, a region of the state that also includes Iowa City. Much of Iowa's technological businesses and industries operate from this corridor.
Sports
Cedar Rapids is home of the minor-league baseball team Cedar Rapids Kernels, a member of the Midwest League since 1962. The ice hockey team Cedar Rapids RoughRiders are a member of the USHL. The basketball team Cedar Rapids BallHogs folded before playing a single game in the AAPBL.
Notable natives
Real People
- Terry Farrell, actress (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Becker)
- Ashton Kutcher, actor
- Ron Livingston, actor
- Dedric Ward, football player
- Kurt Warner, football player
- Elijah Wood, actor
- Trent Green, football player
- Grant Wood, artist
Fictional characters from Cedar Rapids
- Windchill from GI Joe
External links
- City of Cedar Rapids
- Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce
- Cedar Rapids Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Cedar Rapids Downtown District
- Cedar Rapids History Center
- Cedar Rapids Museum of Art
- Cedar Rapids Community Schools
- Cedar Rapids Public Library
- Theatre Cedar Rapids
- Gazette Online
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Local or Yahoo! Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Local or Microsoft Virtual Earth
