UPDATE: Cedar Falls, Waterloo Blue Zone Finalists; 14 Percent of CF Residents Pledged Support

Updated at 4:26 p.m.

Cedar Falls and Waterloo are among 11 finalists for the Blue Zones Project.

Selected towns will receive help from international experts to transform their towns into centers of health and wellness as part of the Iowa's Healthiest State Initiative, which strives to make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation by 2016.

Other finalists are Ames, Cedar Rapids, Clinton, Davenport, Mason City, Muscatine, Ottumwa, Sioux City and Spencer.

"Oh we’re excited. This is a good thing for the Cedar Valley thing," said Marabeth Soneson, who . "We continue to grow the pledges. As of this morning, we're at 14.66 percent of residents."

The percentage of a community that pledged their support on the Blue Zones website helped determine finalists.

Soneson said she hopes residents will continue to pledge.

In late February, the Blue Zones Project Team will begin site visits to the finalist towns, so the community can learn more about the project and the project team can better understand each community's readiness. Site visits conclude in March and the first round of demonstration sites will be announced in May 2012.

In November last year, 84 Iowa communities indicated an interest in becoming Blue Zones Project demonstration sites. Of those, 58 were asked to submit a comprehensive application, leading to the 11 finalists announced today.

In March, smaller communities that have been selected for site visits will be announced.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, two-thirds of Iowans are overweight or obese, something the project aims to counter by encouraging communities to band together and pledge to take action to lead healthier lives.

Soneson said even if Cedar Falls isn't selected as a demonstration community, benefits have already come from the process of applying.

"Even if we don’t get it, in the long run it started the conversation in our community," she said.