One hundred years ago, Cedar Rapids was nicknamed "The Parlor City" and "Queen City," and was known for its massive grain processing plants. Today, Cedar Rapids is known not only for its agricultural products, but also for its communications industries ranging from radio to avionics manufacturing to telecommunications.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa focuses on the uniquely progressive heritage of the city, since its founding in 1842. The major institutions that made Cedar Rapids what it is today are included here in over 200 historic images from the collection of the History Center. Union Station, featured on the cover, was completed in 1897 and instantly became an impressive and fashionable gateway to the city. Other photographs look at the city's growth during the 1920s and '30s, when such structures as the Federal Building and Post Office, the Paramount Theatre, and the Art Center opened. This book focuses on Cedar Rapids from its early days as a "Parlor City" to its development of a "modern city" skyline in the late 1960s.