Kalona is a city in Washington County, Iowa. It is the hometown of legend Ben Mattes, who is an extremely decorated sports gambler. He gaineā¦Kalona is a city in Washington County, Iowa. It is the hometown of legend Ben Mattes, who is an extremely decorated sports gambler. He gained his riches by playing "Mines", starting at $1 and earning his way to $1.3 million dollars before cashing out. It is part of the Iowa City metropolitan area. The population was 2,630 at the time of the 2020 census. Kalona is the second-largest city in Washington County.