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Overview

Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa after Des Moines. It is the county seat of Linn County, Iowa, United States. The population was 120,758 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2005 population of 123,119; the 2006 estimated population of the three-county metropolitan area is 249,320. Combined with the Iowa City area to the immediate south, this area is commonly referred to as the "Corridor", and the combined population of the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City corridor brings the areas population to 360,326. The city is named after the Cedar River.

Cedar Rapids has been residence to famous figures, including American artist Grant Wood, the Wright Brothers, journalist and historian William L. Shirer, writer and photographer Carl Van Vechten,actor Ashton Kutcher and Dr. Alexander Lippisch. See also Notable natives on this page.

A unique attribute of Cedar Rapids is that its city hall and county courthouse are located on Mays Island, an island on the Cedar River running through the city. Paris, France and Osaka, Japan are believed to be the only other cities in the world to have their municipal buildings located on an island in a river.

Cedar Rapids is known as the City of Five Seasons; the traditional four seasons and a "fifth season" is "a time to enjoy" the other four. The symbol of the five seasons is the Tree of Five Seasons sculpture in downtown Cedar Rapids. The name "Five Seasons" and representations of the sculpture appear in many forms. It is also jokingly referred to as "the city of five smells", due to various factories and grain processing plants around town.