Iida lies 90 minutes northeast of the major city of Nagoya by automobile via the Chūō Expressway.

[2] Per Japanese census data, the population Iida remained relatively constant from 1960 until 2010 but has decreased slightly in recent years.

[citation needed] On September 30, 1956 the city limits were expanded by annexing the neighboring villages of Zakoji, Matsuo, Tatsuoka, Miho, Igara, Yamamoto and Shimohizakata, followed by Kawaji on March 31, 1961, Chiyo, Tatsue, and Kamihizakata on March 31, 1964, the town of Kanae on December 1, 1984, Kamisato on July 1, 1993, and Kami and Minamishinano on October 1, 2005.

[7] Iida has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 23 members.

In the modern era, the economy of Iida centers on horticulture, notably pears and apples, and the production of precision instruments and electronics.

Since 1979 the city of Iida has hosted the Iida Puppetry Festival, a major event that is the largest of its kind in Japan, with over 200 traditional and contemporary troupes from all over Japan and abroad participating in the annual four-day festival in early August.

Iida's connection to the traditional Japanese puppet theater commonly known as ningyō jōruri or Bunraku goes back more than 300 years.

Another important festival in Iida is Oneri Matsuri, which is held every seventh year (the last being 2016, the next in March, 2022), a massive four-day event, most famous for the shi-shi lion dance.

One of the city's largest festivals is the Ringo Matsuri (Apple Festival), held every year in early August, and Iida's Ringo Namiki-dori (a street lined with apple trees) is tended by students of the city's Higashi Middle School.