Waterloo

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 belongs to the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the larger of the two cities, by population. The township of City of Waterloo is a separate entity but shares the same borders as the city. 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. It was first settled in 1845 when George and Mary Hanna and their children arrived on the east bank of the Red Cedar River (now just called the Cedar River). They were followed by the Virden and Mullan families in 1846. Evidence of these earliest families can still be found in the street names Hanna Blvd., Mullan Avenue and Virden Creek. There were two extended periods of rapid growth over the next 115 years. From 1895 to 1915,... full article at wikipedia