Black Hawk

Formed February 17, 1843 (23^rd county)

Black Hawk County (131,147), Waterloo (67,320)                

The Modern glass and stone building was erected in 1964 to replace a very nice 1902 facility.  Toenjes-Stenson and Warm were the architects.  The county was organized on February 17, 1843 from Buchanan County as the 23^rd county.  The building sits at Mulberry, 5^th, Lafayette, and 6^th streets.  United States Highway 63 is five blocks to the northwest of the site.  Cedar Falls was the first county seat until 1855 when Waterloo assumed the role.  Black Hawk was a Native American chief and the source of the county’s name.  The county seat is named for the Napoleon battle site.  Black Hawk County was the birthplace of 1 Iowa Governor, Robert D. Fulton. 

Black Hawk County government consists of a sheriff, a recorder, an attorney, a treasurer, and an assessor (executive).  It has 5 Supervisors (legislative.)  Twenty-seven District Court Judges and Sixteen Magistrates serve Black Hawk, Allamakee, Buchanan, Chickasaw, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Grundy, Howard, and Winneshiek counties (judicial.) The county is situated in eastern Iowa.  Cedar Rapids, Iowa is southeast and Des Moines, Iowa is southwest of the county.  The county center is in Waterloo .5 miles South-Southeast of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Bremer, Buchanan, Benton, Tama, Grundy, Butler, and Fayette counties. 

The county has an area of 567 square miles.  It is 57 of 99 in the state.  It ranks 5 out of 99 in population in the state.  It has a density of 231.3 persons per square mile making it 5 out of 99 in the state.  Black Hawk County has 92.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 380 originates in the county and travels southeast into Buchanan County.  United States Highway 20 crosses east to west from Buchanan County to Grundy County.  United States Highway 63 goes north to south from Bremer County to Tama County.  United States Highway 218 enters from Bremer County, north, and exits into Benton County, southeast.  The county looks like a lazy Z standing on its head.  Waterloo occupies a majority of the northwest quarter.  Waterloo is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 51.3% of the county population.  This county is in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.