116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Continue to show the world Cedar Rapids is ‘open for business’
During my six years as mayor, I have talked frequently about Cedar Rapids being 'open for business.” This means as city leaders we make every effort to actively seek out and support business development in Cedar Rapids. Over the years, our city has made significant progress on this front. We have a thriving medical district, many new and expanding companies across a variety of business sectors, an active startup community, and several new retail developments throughout the city, including the much-needed redevelopment of Westdale Mall. Development in the New Bo District has helped create a destination for shopping and entertainment that is attracting customers not just from Cedar Rapids, but also from visitors throughout the state and country.
The progress Cedar Rapids has made in the last several years is remarkable for any city, but especially a city recovering from a major natural disaster. We did not use the flood as an excuse to just get by, but instead used it as a springboard to create new opportunities.
Proof of the success our city has achieved can be found in two essential benchmarks key to citizens here, and in communities throughout the country. The first is unemployment. Cedar Rapids' unemployment rate has continued to fall since 2010, and as of October 2015 is 3.3 percent according to the US Department of Labor, below the State rate of 3.5 percent. The growth of business has created a wealth of quality jobs in our community.
The second benchmark is home values. While home values had dropped for years nationally, we are now seeing values in Cedar Rapids trending back upward, a sign of a growing and healthy local economy.
In the coming year, the city council and I will address many important issues. In all decisions, I believe we should continue to operate with the overall 'open for business” goal in mind in order to continue the positive momentum into 2016.
' Mayor Ron Corbett is mayor of Cedar Rapids. Comments: ron.corbett@cedar-rapids.org
Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett exits a tractor after riding along while planting Miscanthus at a field at The Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids on Friday, May 15, 2015. Miscanthus, a deep-rooted perennial grass is being planted on 65 acres of farmland at the airport to be harvested and used as a biofuel for the University of Iowa's power plant. (Adam Wesley/The Gazette)
Ron Corbett
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