Best Web Design in Cedar Falls, IA (2026)

Web Design for Cedar Falls, Iowa

Cedar Falls is a Cedar River college town, home to the University of Northern Iowa and a brick-lined Main Street of shops and theaters. Founded in 1845 as Sturgis Falls, it grew on water-powered milling and now pairs a lively downtown and campus culture with quiet residential neighborhoods. It also holds a nationally noted distinction: municipally run gigabit internet ranked among the fastest in the country.

AppWT works with Cedar Falls, IA businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Cedar Falls

Also known as. Sturgis Falls (the settlement's original name, still used for its flagship summer celebration). Part of the Cedar Valley / Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro.

History. First settled in March 1845 by brothers-in-law William R. Sturgis and Erasmus D. Adams, who were drawn by timber, prairie farmland, and the Cedar River's water power; the site was first called Sturgis Falls. In 1850 John and Dempsey Overman, with John Barrick, bought out the Sturgis family and renamed the community Cedar Falls. Water power made it a milling and industrial center before the Civil War; the population grew from about 450 in 1855 to over 1,500 by 1860, with rail arriving in 1861. The Iowa State Normal School was established in 1876 (with roots in an 1863 Civil War Soldiers' Orphans Home) and evolved into the University of Northern Iowa in 1967. The 2020 census recorded a population of 40,713, ranking 13th among Iowa cities.

Local economy. Viking Pump, founded in Cedar Falls in 1912 by Jens Nielsen, is headquartered there with more than 500 employees and is one of the Cedar Valley's largest manufacturers. The University of Northern Iowa is a major institutional employer and economic driver. John Deere operations in the adjacent Waterloo metro helped fuel Cedar Falls' fast population growth between 1950 and 1980. Cedar Falls Utilities, a municipal provider, delivers citywide gigabit fiber internet.

Culture and community. The Sturgis Falls Celebration, which grew out of the 1976 Bicentennial and is named for founder William Sturgis, is the city's signature summer festival, centered on Overman Park. The College Hill Arts Festival is a juried show of about 75 artists held near the UNI campus. The Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center at UNI seats about 1,680 and hosts touring performances. The Cedar Falls Community Theatre and the historic Oster Regent Theatre (opened 1910 as the Cotton Theatre) anchor a downtown arts scene. Cedar Falls has produced notable athletes, including NFL quarterback Kurt Warner.

What makes Cedar Falls distinct. In 2020, PC Magazine ranked Cedar Falls as having the fastest internet in the nation, reportedly by a factor of three, thanks to its municipal utility fiber network. The city's list of notable people spans Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen, NFL quarterback Kurt Warner, astronaut Raja Chari, and actress Annabeth Gish. Its founding name Sturgis Falls survives as the name of its largest annual celebration, marking roughly 50 years of the event.

Cedar Falls Landmarks and Local Life

• Cedar Falls Ice House Museum - a round former ice-storage building on the river
• Cedar Falls Downtown Historic District along Main Street
• UNI-Dome and the campus Campanile bell tower
• The Black Hawk Hotel - a historic downtown hotel
• Oster Regent Theatre - the restored 1910 theater