Waterloo, Iowa
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Waterloo is the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 68,747. It is the larger of two principal cities, by population, of and is included in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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[edit] History
Although located in the Midwest, which is historically and predominantly white, Waterloo and its industries have attracted a diverse population that often reflects national trends. African-Americans were first drawn to Waterloo because of the many entry-level jobs that were then available in meatpacking and other industries located in the city. In the 1990's, Bosnian war refugees were resettled in Waterloo by the federal government, and during the same decade a new IBP packing plant attracted hundreds of Hispanics.
This diversity of races has generally worked well, but Waterloo has experienced its share of racial tension and hostility. Early on, African-Americans settled on only the "East" side (geographically and more accurately north-northeast, but the term has become locally fixed), while Caucasians populated both the "East" and the "West" sides. Through the 1970s and 1980s the "East" side stagnated and the "West" side prospered, leaving a racially divided city. This clear division of the city magnified the awareness of differences and the need for fairness.
Waterloo was one of the very few communities to have two Carnegie-endowed libraries: one on the East side and one on the West.
The clear division of the city also contributed to the natural but sometimes fractious competition between East High School and West High School. Then, when Central High School was built, its location on the "West" (and it was truly on the west side of the city) aggravated the perception of racism within the city. In time, however, the racial tension become more a matter of economics as the East side experienced an enduring upswing in poor Caucasians and major business, including Rath, closed leaving hundreds of people unemployed.
Waterloo is home of the Waterloo Blackhawks, a team in the United States Hockey League which plays in Young Arena. It is also the home of the Waterloo Bucks, a summer collegiate league baseball team which plays in the Northwoods League. The team plays at Riverfront Stadium.
Waterloo was originally known as "Prairie Rapids Crossing". The town was built on top of a Native American village. The town is now named after Waterloo, Belgium. The city's primary waterway is the Cedar River.
Nicknamed "Little Chicago"
[edit] Geography and Climate
Waterloo is located at (42.492436, -92.346161)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 160.6 km² (62.0 mi²). 157.3 km² (60.7 mi²) of it is land and 3.3 km² (1.3 mi²) of it (2.06%) is water.
[edit] Transportation
Waterloo is located at the north end of Interstate 380. U.S. Highways 20, 63, and 218 and Iowa Highways 21, 57, 58, and 281 also run through the metropolitan area. The Avenue of the Saints runs through Waterloo.
[edit] Metropolitan area
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of Black Hawk, Bremer, and Grundy counties. The area had a 2000 census population of 163,706 and a 2005 estimated population of 161,897. [1]
Waterloo is next to Cedar Falls, home to the University of Northern Iowa. Small suburbs include Evansdale, Hudson and Elk Run Heights.
[edit] Climate
| Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures | ||||||||||||
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec High °F | 65 | 66 | 87 | 100 | 94 | 103 | 105 | 105 | 98 | 95 | 80 | 67 |
| Norm High °F | 25.8 | 31.9 | 45 | 59.7 | 72.2 | 81.7 | 85 | 82.8 | 75.3 | 62.5 | 45 | 30.7 |
| Norm Low °F | 6.3 | 13.2 | 24.9 | 35.8 | 48.1 | 58.1 | 62.2 | 59.5 | 49.8 | 37.8 | 25.1 | 12.5 |
| Rec Low °F | -33 | -31 | -34 | -4 | 22 | 38 | 42 | 38 | 22 | 11 | -17 | -29 |
| Precip (in) | 0.84 | 1.05 | 2.13 | 3.23 | 4.15 | 4.82 | 4.2 | 4.08 | 2.95 | 2.49 | 2.1 | 1.11 |
| Source: USTravelWeather.com [2] | ||||||||||||
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 68,747 people, 28,169 households, and 17,746 families residing in the city. The population density was 437.0/km² (1,131.9/mi²). There were 29,499 housing units at an average density of 187.5/km² (485.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.61% White, 13.86% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.44% from other races, and 1.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.63% of the population.
There were 28,169 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,092, and the median income for a family was $42,731. Males had a median income of $31,491 versus $22,569 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,558. About 10.0% of families and 13.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.6% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
Waterloo is administered by a seven-member city council and a mayor. One council member is elected from each of Waterloo's five wards, and two are elected at-large. The current mayor is Timothy J. Hurley, his predecessor was John Rooff.
[edit] Library
Waterloo has one central public library, the Waterloo Public Library , offering video, music, books, self-check out, and access to the Internet. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, 269,000 patron visits resulted in circulation of 442,663 items including 118,053 AV materials. Total holdings included 185,877 books, 7,726 videos, 10,899 audio records and 348 magazine subscriptions. The total collection consisted of 205,149 items. The library’s reference services, supported by 7 FTE librarians, answered more than 69,000 questions. The library’s 43 public access computers provided over 60,000 sessions for patrons wanting to surf the ‘net or create office suite documents.
The Waterloo Public Library is located in a renovated Great Depression era U.S. Post Office building that also served as a Federal Circuit Courthouse. The City of Waterloo acquired the structure in 1979 and with the help of a successful bond referendum performed major renovations which adapted the building to library use. Fortunately, the renovations did not disturb two New Deal funded murals created by Edgar Britton. His art work may be seen on the wall above the Youth Departmentoffice and to the south of the Circulation Services desk.
[edit] Education
Hawkeye Community College is located in Waterloo. Neighboring Cedar Falls is home to the University of Northern Iowa.
One of two public high schools in the city is Waterloo West High School. Its school mascot is the Wahawk, a contraction of Waterloo and Black Hawk (the city and county names), and its colors are old rose and black. Its most famous alumnus is former amateur wrestler and coach Dan Gable. Its current principal is Dr. Gail Moon. [3] The other public high school is Waterloo East High School. Its athletic teams are called the Trojans, and the school colors are orange and black. Mary Meier is the current principal. [4] Waterloo's private high schools include Columbus Catholic High School and Walnut Ridge Baptist Academy.
[edit] Notable natives
- Dan Gable, Olympic champion wrestler and collegiate coach
- Lou Henry Hoover, First Lady 1929-1933
- J.J. Moses, wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals
- Don Perkins, running back for the Dallas Cowboys
- Reggie Roby, punter for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes and Miami Dolphins
- Tracie Spencer, singer
- John L. Simmons, director of bargaining for SEIU Local 1000, the largest Union of California state employees[citation needed]
- Gary Forney, singer/songwriter/actor [5]
- Darren Sproles, running back for the San Diego Chargers
- David Barrett, cornerback for the New York Jets
- The Sullivan brothers, five sons who died together on the USS Juneau during World War II. Their story was part of the inspiration for the movie Saving Private Ryan, who also hailed from Iowa in the film.
- Thunderbolt Patterson, professional wrestler
- Sean Schemmel, English dub voice of Dragonball Z's Goku
- MarTay Jenkins, wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals
- Larry Nemmers, NFL referee
- Paco Rosic, aerosol artist [6]
- Alfred C. Richmond, Retired U.S. Coast Guard Commandant
[edit] External links
- Waterloo Public Library
- Waterloo - Cedar Falls Courier
- City of Waterloo, Iowa
- Waterloo Public Library
- Waterloo Chamber of Commerce
- KWWL TV-7
- Waterloo Police Department
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- The Rocket Slide!
