Mona, Iowa

Mona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Mitchell County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 census the population of Mona was 35.

History
Mona got its start in 1869, following construction of the Illinois Central Railroad through that territory. Mona was platted May 30, 1870, in sections 11 and 14, by Mary C. Agard, Benjamin Agard, Edward Gregory, and Charles Gregory.

Mona had one school building, with an enrollment of 56 students, with two teachers, in 1917.

Around that time, Mona had begun to decline in importance when most railroading business had been transferred to Lyle, Minnesota, across the Iowa-Minnesota border.

Geography
Mona is located in the northern portion of Mitchell County; the community's northern border is the Minnesota state line. The city of Lyle, Minnesota, abuts Mona to the north. U.S. Route 218 runs along the northeast edge of the community, leading south 8 mi to St. Ansgar, the post office serving Mona, and 20 mi to Osage, the Mitchell county seat. To the north US 218 leads 13 mi to Austin, Minnesota.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Mona CDP has an area of 2.28 sqmi, all land. Otter Creek runs through the east side of the community, flowing southwest to the Cedar River at Otranto.