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Located in
East Central Iowa, Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity was founded in
1988 and covers the Linn and Benton county area.
 1998 celebrated the kick-off of
Genesis Park, a 25-house neighborhood development in the Oak Hill area of Cedar
Rapids. By winter of 2007, Habitat volunteers and donors had created homebuyer opportunities for
58 families in Cedar Rapids, Marion and Benton County. In total, Habitat of Iowa has built more than
500 homes.
Homeownership is the foundation for wealth creation and the development of strong communities.
Mixed-income communities traditionally have diverse populations and offer opportunities for low income
families to move up without having to leave the neighborhood and disrupt educational processes
for their children by the need to change schools.
The population of Linn County was estimated by the Census Bureau to be 205,836 (84% urban, 16%
rural) in July 2007. The population of Benton County was estimated by the Census Bureau to be 26,546
(30% urban, 70% rural). The population in Cedar Rapids has changed +3.5% since 2000.
Median household income for Linn County in 2005
was $48,822.
The availability of affordable workforce housing is
directly tied to the economic health of the city. If
workers are not able to live in reasonable proximity
to their jobs, the Cedar Valley risks the loss of business
to suburban locales.
| Cedar Valley Area Statistics* |
|
|
Benton County |
Linn County |
|
Median Family Income |
$50,836 (2007) |
$52,320 (2007) |
|
Per Capita Income |
$25,196 |
$35,370 |
|
% Owner-Occupied Units |
21% |
27% |
|
Residents with HS Diploma |
87.8% |
90.6% |
|
Percentage of residents living in poverty in
2007* |
|
|
Benton County |
Linn County |
|
Benton county |
6.1% |
10.2% |
|
Racial Diversity* |
|
|
Benton County |
Linn County |
|
White Non-Hispanic |
98.4% |
93.1% |
|
Black |
|
2.6% |
|
Hispanic |
0.6% |
1.4% |
|
Two or more races |
0.5% |
1.4% |
|
American Indian |
|
0.6% |
* Source: City-data.com
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