[3] The name Fontana comes from the French word fontaine, meaning fountain or a spring-like water source.

[4] Captain David Martin, a veteran of the War of 1812, received a land grant for 160 acres (0.65 km2) in Lykins County, Kansas (Miami County, Kansas) due to an 1855 congressional act.

Part of this property would eventually become the townsite and rural community of Fontana.

J.B. Grinnell purchased 120 acres (0.49 km2) of the property in 1869, and put Fontana in the center near a railroad right of way.

[6] The 2020 United States census counted 210 people, 71 households, and 49 families in Fontana.

19.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

18.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 5.4% of families and 12.7% of the population living below the poverty line, including 7.4% of under eighteens and 22.2% of those over 64.

With a farm-based economy, the Fontana Co-Op is of great importance to the area farmers.

[5] The community is served by Prairie View USD 362 public school district.

In approximately 2011, the Prairie View School Board expressed an interest in replacing or remodeling Fontana Elementary.

Various proposals were made, including one to build a new school close to Prairie View Middle School, but the Board eventually settled on a decision to expand nearby Parker Elementary, which was part of Prairie View along with Fontana.