Cedar Rapids. Iowa

Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa, straddling both banks of the Cedar River 20 miles north of Iowa City and 100 miles northeast of Des Moines. Until massive flooding in 2008, the city government was headquartered in the Veterans Memorial Building, near the Linn County Courthouse; Cedar Rapids was among a handful of cities in the world with government offices on a municipal island.

A vibrant center for arts and culture, the city is home to the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, the Paramount Theatre, Theatre Cedar Rapids, the African-American Historical Museum and Cultural Center of Iowa. Cedar Rapids is a major economic center for the state, located in the core of the I-380 Corridor of Linn, Benton, Cedar, Jones, Johnson, and Washington counties.