[6] The Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway built a 66-mile branch from Iowa City to What Cheer via Kalona in 1879.

[10] Kalona is home to a burgeoning craft, antiques, and local products industry.

The town is home to a variety of locally owned shops and restaurants.

[citation needed] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.15 square miles (5.57 km2), all of it land.

There were 1,155 housing units at an average density of 536.0 per square mile (207.0/km2).

Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 5.2% of the population.

33.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Not far from Kalona is located one of the largest Amish settlements west of the Mississippi with eleven church districts and a population of roughly 1,200 people.

[16] The Kalona New Order Amish affiliation is one of the most liberal concerning the use of technology, allowing even tractors for field work.

[17] Noah Troyer (1831–1886), one of the two "sleeping preachers" among the Amish Mennonites, lived three miles north of Kalona.

[18] The Iowa Mennonite School is located a few miles northwest of Kalona.