Waterloo is the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa.
Waterloo was the home of the Sullivan brothers, who were killed during World War II. It is the location of the Tractor Assembly Division & Product Engineering Center of John Deere. Waterloo is also the location of Hawkeye Community College, and the former location of Rath Packing. Due to its history of meatpacking the city is home to the National Cattle Congress.
Waterloo attracted a large African-American population because of meatpacking and other industries located in the city. In the 1980s Waterloo experienced some friction between the black community and the rest of the city. Many African-Americans in Waterloo reside on the east side of the city. In the 1990's a large influx of Bosnian war refugees were resettled by the federal government in Waterloo adding to racial tensions there. Around the same time, a new IBP packing plant attracted hundreds of Hispanics, adding to the racial equation.
Waterloo is home of the Waterloo Black Hawks, 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 Riverview Stadium.
Waterloo was originally known as "Prairie Rapids Crossing". The town was built on top of a Native American village. The town is currently named after Waterloo, Belgium. The city's primary waterway is the Cedar River.
Housing Cost
Estimated median house/condo value in 2005: $88,600
Demographics
Estimated population in July 2006: 65,998. Waterloo covers 60.7 square miles. It sits at an elevation of 846 feet above sea level.
Zip codes: 50701, 50702, 50703, 50706 - Area code: 319
Weather
Waterloo, IA climate is warm during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 70's and extremely cold during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 10's.
The warmest month of the year is July with an average maximum temperature of 85.00 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is January with an average minimum temperature of 6.30 degrees Fahrenheit.
Temperature variations between night and day tend to be moderate during summer with a difference that can reach 23 degrees Fahrenheit, and fairly limited during winter with an average difference of 19 degrees Fahrenheit.
The annual average precipitation at Waterloo is 33.15 Inches. Rainfall in is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is June with an average rainfall of 4.82 Inches.
Information provided by idcide.com and city data.com
