Cedar Falls

City in Black Hawk County, northeast Iowa, on the Cedar River, 15 km/9 mi northwest of Waterloo; population (1998 est) 34,730. The city is mainly residential, with some industry, including the manufacture of pumps, farm equipment, golf supplies, humidifiers, and air conditioning and heating grilles. It is the home of the University of Northern Iowa (1876).

First settled in 1845, Cedar Falls was incorporated in 1853. In the mid-19th century it grew in importance as a river port, shipping lumber and grain towards the Mississippi. It also took advantage of waterpower to become a milling centre for locally produced grain city. The Quaker Oats Company was founded here. Later it became an important rail shipping point for the area's grain, livestock, and lumber.