Mason City

City and seat of Cerro Gordo County, north-central Iowa, on the Winnebago River, 101 km/63 mi northwest of Waterloo; population (2000) 29,200. It is the main marketing and manufacturing centre, and principal railway distribution point, for an agricultural region where livestock are raised and arable farming is practised. It lies in an area of clay and limestone deposits, which provide the raw materials for important cement, brick, and tile industries. Products include steel doors and window frames, fertilizer, feeds, and electrical and grain-drying equipment.

Mason City was first called Shibboleth, then Masonic Grove, having been founded in 1853 by Freemasons. It was the original seat of Cerro Gordo County in 1857, but lost the function, to win in back in 1858. The first courthouse was in use 1866–1900, the second 1902–1960, and in 1960 the present courthouse was bought and remodelled from an existing building. Mason City contains several houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, including Stockman House, which is a museum. There is also an art museum, a pioneer museum, and a truck museum. North Iowa Area Community College (founded 1918) is situates in Mason City.

The city provided the setting (‘River City’) for The Music Man, a musical written by resident Meredith Willson. Willson's centenary will be celebrated in 2002, and the ‘Music Man’ heritage is to be extended by the development of the ‘Music Man Square’, which will recreate buildings from the musical.