Linn County, Iowa

L inn County, Iowa, located in the east central portion of the state,was created in 1837 as part of the Wisconsin Territory, and then became part of the Iowa Territory the following year.The county was named after Lewis Fields Linn, a physician and politician fromMissouri who rep- resented that state in the U.S. Senate.The county seat and its largest city is Cedar Rapids. In 1859, the first rail line was built through Cedar Rapids, helping to make the town, and the county, a major commercial hub in eastern Iowa.Today, Linn County’s population is 218,000; Cedar Rapids’ is 133,000. Linn County’s main industries are manufacturing, healthcare & social assistance, finance & insurance, and retail.Others include utilities,mining & quarrying, oil & gas extraction, and professional, scientific & technical services.The county’s home ownership rate is 74 percent,with an aver- age of two cars per household.A three-member Board of Supervisors serves as the administrative and policy-making body for Linn County and oversees the programs and departments that serve its residents and businesses. Recently, Business ViewMagazine spoke with three Linn County officials: Les Beck,Director of Planning & Development; Jim Hodina, Environmen- tal Public Health Manager; and Dennis Goemaat,Director of the Linn County Conservation Department. Each spoke about a particular proj-