Cedar Rapids is the 2nd largest city in Iowa and one of the largest metros in the state. It's the county seat of Linn County and the largest metro in East Central Iowa. Cedar Rapids has 126,326 people, with 260,575 in the metropolitan area. This clean and growing city is located on the banks of the Cedar River is 128 miles east of Des Moines and 26 miles north of Iowa City. Located at the intersection of Highway 30 and Interstate I-380, Cedar Rapids benefits from being in close proximity to the University of Iowa and Iowa City metro area.

Cedar Rapids has been dubbed the "City of Five Seasons" and is home to companies like McLeod USA Telecommunications, Alliant Energy and Rockwell Collins Defense Contractors, providing a growing white collar employment base. Quaker Oats, Archer Daniels Midland and Cargill have major high-tech food processing facilities in Cedar Rapids that add to the workforce as well. Cedar Rapids is home to the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, due to it's rich Czech heritage.

In the summer of 2008, Cedar Rapids experienced a devastating flood. The hardest areas hit were Downtown Cedar Rapids and surrounding areas. The city has bounced back and is currently under going major rebuilding and redevelopment efforts.