Are you moving to Cedar Rapids soon?

Located in the heart of east central Iowa, Cedar Rapids is a growing town with 128,199 residents. As the second largest city in the state, the city is the largest corn-processing city in the world, one of the leading manufacturing regions in the U.S., and one of the leading bio-processing and food ingredient centers in North America. In 2009, Cedar Rapids was rated one of the Top 10 Cities to Grow Up In by Yahoo!, due to its low crime rate, excellent school system, and family-friendly environment. If you’re moving to Cedar Rapids, you’ve made a great choice!

What you want to know about moving to Cedar Rapids

What’s the weather like? In Cedar Rapids, you’ll experience four distinct seasons. Summers are hot and can be somewhat humid with temps peaking into the 80s-90s. Winters are cold, with average temps in the 30s but with chances for lows into the teens. Spring will likely be rainy with several thunderstorms (some severe), while autumns are warmer with cool nights. As for snow and rain, the city gets about 31 inches of snow per year and 33 inches of rain per year.

Why is it called the City of Five Seasons? Because the Cedar Rapids community experiences the wonders of changing seasons, some say that taking the time to appreciate everyday beauty extends life, almost like an extra season is added to ever year. So, the extra season allows the community time to enjoy each season and to enjoy life itself.

How are the schools? If you’re moving to Cedar Rapids with children, the Cedar Rapids Community School District will suit them fine. The district serves 15,975 students through 21 elementary schools, 6 middle schools, and 4 high schools. If you’re seeking higher education, the city offers two four-year colleges: Coe College and Mount Mercy University. There’s also Kirkwood Community College, an evening MBA facility established by the University of Iowa, Kaplan University, and Upper Iowa University.

Is the economy strong? Because Cedar Rapids is the largest city in the world for corn processing, it’s the city’s most important job sector. Rockwell Collins, a Fortune 500 Company, is headquarted in the city. Aegon is also headquartered there. Quaker Oats, Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill, General Mills, Toyota Financial, and Nordstrom all have facilities in the city.

What’s there to do there? The arts are alive in Cedar Rapids, as the city is home to the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra, the Paramount Theatre, Theatre Cedar Rapids, and Brucemore, a national historic site. The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art houses the largest collection of Grant Wood paintings in the world.

If your friends call you a “shop-a-holic,” then you’ll enjoy spending your time at Lindale or Westdale Mall, then visiting the Tanger Outlet Center. Also, sprinkled throughout Cedar Rapids are local boutiques featuring wine and food gift baskets, glassware, handcrafted goods, crafted furnishings, and shabby-chic clothing.

For outdoor fun, explore one of 74 parks, four golf courses, and six swimming pools. There are plenty of athletic fields, pavilions, and playgrounds throughout the area. When you’re not at the park, cheer on the home team by catching a Titans football game or Kernel’s baseball game.

When it’s raining outside, find your way inside and visit the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library, the Cedar Rapids Science Center, or the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art.

Fun facts about Cedar Rapids

• Cedar Rapids is home to some famous names: Elijah Wood, Ashton Kutcher, Kurt Warner, Ryan Sweeney, Trent Green, Ron Livingston, and Bobby Driscoll to name a few!
• The city is home to the second oldest restaurant in Iowa, the Lighthouse Inn. It was built in 1912 and became a common stop for Chicagoland mobsters looking to get out of Chicago for a few days. In fact, Al Capone dined there as well as John Dillenger.
• The Wright Brothers once lived in Cedar Rapids.
• Mays Island (a small island in the Cedar River) houses Cedar Rapids’ government offices. It’s one of just a few in the world with govt. offices on a municipal island.
• The city houses the largest collection of Grant Wood’s artwork.

How to move to Cedar Rapids on budget

When you’re ready to start packing to move to Cedar Rapids, choose the affordable moving solution – U-Pack^®. We’re a “you pack, we drive” moving company, and our prices are similar to truck rental. Here’s how it works: We’ll deliver to you, you pack and load, we’ll do the driving, you unload, and we’ll pick up the equipment. Simple, right?

Why bother driving a moving truck when you can let U-Pack take the burden of driving off your shoulders? We’re here to make things easy.

To see how much your U-Pack will cost and to compare to other Cedar Rapids moving companies, get a free moving quote today. We drive. You save.^®

Cedar Rapids Moving Resources

City website

Visitor’s Center

Chamber of Commerce

If we are not able to provide door-to-door delivery to your city near Cedar Rapids, IA, you can save money by loading or unloading at the service center conveniently located in Cedar Rapids, IA. If you have questions about serviceability to your location, please call us at 800-240-7422, and a U-Pack Moving Consultant will gladly help.