Home of the University of Northern Iowa, as well as four other institutions of higher learning, Cedar Falls is education oriented. Student populations range over 15,000 per school session, but overall, in 2000, the population of Cedar Falls and Waterloo combined to over 100,000 people.

Located along the Cedar River in Northeast Iowa, the area attracts many with its small town values and outdoor activities, including over 60 miles of surfaced hiking and biking trails that wind throughout the Cedar Valley.

Yet, say local Realtors, opportunities for business growth also exist, making the community an ideal place to live and work.

"We have a nice midwestern college community with many parks, bike trails and great school system," says Realtor Celia Simmer. "The Cedar Falls area is experiencing a strong market with very low interest rates.

She says, "There are currently more homes listed for sale than there were a year ago. This will give the appearance of a slow market, but is actually just that people shopping for a home have more choices now than at this time last year.

"The economy in the Cedar Falls/Waterloo area is strong and we are gearing up for new people coming to town to populate the new Target distribution center," she says.

Recently, the area has added other retail centers including Gap, Old Navy, Best Buy, and Kohls, as well as other new businesses since 2001.

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Published: September 2, 2002

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