Bremer County

Home of family-friendly trails and Wartburg College

By Amanda Morgan

Bremer County is named for Frederika Bremer, a Swedish traveler, poet and author and it has been said that it is the only county in Iowa whose name honors a person eminent in literature. Comprised of mostly rural areas, its largest town is the county seat of Waverly which is located on the banks of the Cedar River. It is one of the three counties that make up the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Metropolitan Area.

The communities in Bremer County place emphasis on being family-friendly. Many of them take pride in maintaining their neighborhoods and parks, and enjoying all the recreational activities offered locally. Many parks and trails are found throughout Bremer County.

The Waverly Rail Trail starts at the Cedar River in downtown Waverly; the 10-foot wide asphalt trail proceeds southeast for about 7 miles over 7 bridges and under 2 roads and concludes at US Highway 63. At that point, the Denver-Jefferson Trail takes you into Denver about 2 miles away. The mostly rural trail exhibits a wide variety of flora and fauna.

Founded in 1852, Waverly’s Wartburg College is a selective four-year liberal arts college of the Lutheran Church (ELCA), nationally recognized for community engagement. The college offers more than 50 academic majors and preprofessional and certificate programs leading to the bachelor’s degree.

Nationally recognized historic buildings in Bremer County include the Bank of Sumner/Clock Tower Building, the Bremer County Courthouse, Green Mill Ford Bridge, and the Waverly House/Bremer County Historical Society Museum.

Largest employers include: CUNA Mutual Insurance Company, Wartburg College , Terex Cranes-Waverly .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bremer_County,_Iowa, http://www.iowaworkforce.org/LMI/empstat/bremer.pdf, http://www.traveliowa.com/attractiondetails.aspx?cat=1&id=8&destid=387, http://www.co.bremer.ia.us/

Denver pop. 1627
Frederika pop. 199
Janesville pop. 829
Plainfield pop. 438
Readlyn pop. 786
Sumner pop. 2106
Tripoli pop. 1310
Webster City pop. 8968