Cedar Rapids

Cedar Rapids, city (1990 pop. 108,751), seat of Linn co., E central Iowa, on the Cedar River; inc. as a city 1856. The second largest city in Iowa, it is named for the surging rapids in the river. It is a commercial and industrial city as well as a distribution and rail center for an extensive agricultural area. Manufactures include food and beverages, electrical equipment, machinery, and metal and plastic products. Coe College and Mt. Mercy College are there. Of note are the city's Masonic Library (1884); an art museum with a collection by the artist Grant Wood; the National Czech and Slovak Museum (1995); and Municipal Island, a strip of land in the main channel of the Cedar River, on which the municipal building and a neoclassical war memorial are located. The Duane Arnold Energy Center, the first nuclear-powered generator in Iowa, is nearby.

---

Cedar Rapids

City (pop., 2000: 120,758), eastern Iowa, U.S. Originally called Rapids City, it was settled in the 1830s next to rapids of the Cedar River, a source of waterpower. With the coming of the railroads, it developed as a grain and livestock market. Neighbouring Kingston was annexed in 1870, and Kenwood Park in 1926. Its manufactures include electronic equipment and farm machinery. It was the home of the artist Grant Wood.