Cedar City was first settled on November 11, 1851, with the arrival of a group of 35 men to establish an ironworks. Beginning with the demise of the ironworks in 1858, the town's economy became agrarian in nature, though iron mining continued strongly through World War II and into the 1980s. The coming of the railroad to Cedar City in 1923 exposed Utah's national parks to the world of tourism, and Cedar City was touted as the "Gateway to the Parks." The railroad also provided an outlet for the products of the iron mines. The Utah Shakespeare Festival, the Festival City USA designation, and the Utah Summer Games propelled Cedar City into a new era.
