CEDAR FALLS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN INTRODUCTION
This plan provides a comprehensive profile of the community of Cedar Falls, and provides a vision and plan for the next 20 years.
CEDAR FALLS LOCATION Cedar Falls, Iowa is located in Black Hawk County, immediately adjacent to Waterloo. The Cedar River runs through the heart of Cedar Falls.
CEDAR FALLS HISTORY The first settlers to lay claim to Cedar Falls were William Sturgis and his brother-in- law, Erasmus Adams in 1845. The two men were drawn to the area because of its abundant timber, its farming potential, and the Cedar River, which provided drink- ing water, transportation, and a potential power source. In 1850, John and Dempsey Overman, together with John Barrick, bought the land from the Sturgis family and changed the name from Sturgis Falls to Cedar Falls.
In 1853, Cedar Falls had grown to approximately 40 residents, and was named the Black Hawk county seat. However, no sooner had the Overman brothers dedicated the land for the courthouse than Waterloo began to argue that their community should be the county seat instead, due to its more central location. The residents of Waterloo succeeded in their efforts, convincing the State Legislature to authorize the re-location of the county seat to Waterloo in 1855, where it remains today.
Between 1855 and 1860, Cedar Falls grew from approximately 450 persons to just over 1,500. From there, the town began to add more services, gaining a post office in 1850, a schoolhouse in 1853, and a railroad connection in 1861. The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) got its roots during this time, starting as the Civil War Sol- dier’s Orphan Home in 1863, then transitioning through various names and mis- sions throughout the next century to become Old Central, the Iowa State Normal School (1876), the Iowa State Teacher’s College (1909), the State College of Iowa (1961), and finally the University of Northern Iowa (1967).
The early part of the 20th century saw the formation of many Cedar Falls institu-
tions and businesses. In 1911, J.G. Wyth, P.C. Petersen, W.I. Hearst, and Jens Nielsen pooled their resources to start a company that would later become Viking Pump. Sartori Hospital dedicated its new 30-patient facility in 1915, and the first Cedar Falls Interdenominational Bible Conference kicked off a few years later in 1921.
Between 1950 and 1980, the City of Cedar Falls had one of the fastest growing mu- nicipal populations in the State of Iowa. This was spurred primarily by two factors: first, economic growth from regional businesses such as John Deere and Company, Rath Packing, and Chamberlain Manufacturing; and second, a tremendous growth in UNI enrollment.
Today, the City of Cedar Falls takes pride in its schools, its relationship with UNI, strong leadership, distinct culture, and continuing development and growth.
6
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201