CEDAR FALLS

city, Black Hawk county, east central Iowa, U.S., on the Cedar River, adjacent to Waterloo (east). Settled in 1845 by William Sturgis and laid out in 1853, it was named for the cedar trees along the river. It boomed as a shipping point for grain, livestock, and lumber and served as the county seat from 1852 to 1855. Now primarily residential, it has some light manufactures, including rotary pumps and farm equipment. It is the home of the University of Northern Iowa (founded as the Iowa State Normal School in 1876). Inc. 1857. Pop. (1990) city, 34,298; WaterlooCedar Falls MSA, 146,611.