A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
Winona | |
|---|---|
 Left-to-right from top-left: the Empire Builder at Winona station, Merchants National Bank, Sugar Loaf, Watkins Incorporated, Basilica of St. Stanislaus, Krueger Library, East Second Street Historic Commercial District, and Garvin Heights City Park. | |
| Nickname: The Island City[1] | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 44°03′02″N 91°40′06″W / 44.05056°N 91.66833°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Winona |
| Founded | 1851 |
| Incorporated | March 6, 1857 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor - Council |
| • Mayor | Scott Sherman[2] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 24.32 sq mi (62.98 km2) |
| • Land | 19.03 sq mi (49.29 km2) |
| • Water | 5.29 sq mi (13.70 km2) |
| Elevation | 659 ft (201 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 25,948 |
| • Estimate (2022)[6] | 25,842 |
| • Density | 1,363.53/sq mi (526.46/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC–6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC–5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 55987 |
| Area code | 507 |
| FIPS code | 27-71032 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2397348[4] |
| Website | cityofwinona.com |
Winona (/wɪnˈoʊnə/ win-OH-nə) is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, Minnesota, United States.[7] Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf. The population was 25,948 at the 2020 census.[5]
History
The site was of the village of Keoxa of Dakota people.[8] The city is named after Winona, a figure in a Sioux legend.[9]
European immigrants settled the area in 1851 and laid out the town into lots in 1852 and 1853. The original settlers were immigrants from New England.[10][11] The population increased from 815 in December, 1855, to 3,000 in December, 1856. In 1856 German immigrants arrived as well.[11] The Germans and the Yankees worked together planting trees and building businesses based on lumber, wheat, steamboating and railroads. Between 1859 and 1900, some 5,000 Poles and closely related Kashubians emigrated to Winona, making up one quarter of the population. Since 80% of them were Kashubians, Winona became known as the "Kashubian Capital of America". As a result of the influx of Polish Catholic immigrants, the Church of St. Stanislaus (now Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka) was built.[12] For a time, Winona had more millionaires than any other city of its size in the United States.[11]
The railroad and steamboat transportation industries helped Winona grow into a small city that diversified into wheat milling, and lumber production. In 1856, more than 1,300 steamboats stopped at Winona.[13] The Winona and St. Peter Railroad first segment of 11 miles (18 km) from Winona to Stockton, Minnesota was completed by the end of 1862. Winona then had the second operational railroad in Minnesota, after the St. Paul and Pacific Line from Saint Paul to St. Anthony Falls.[14] In December 1870, the Mississippi River was bridged at Winona by the Winona Rail Bridge.[15] In 1892, a wagon toll-bridge over the Mississippi, a steel high-bridge, was completed and remained in service until the opening of the Main Channel Bridge in 1942.
Winona has two historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places that combine into a single local historic district administered by the city's Heritage Preservation Commission.
A bandshell was completed in 1924 for outdoor musical performances and events.[16] The Winona Municipal Band holds concerts there during the summer.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.32 square miles (62.99 km2); 19.03 square miles (49.29 km2) is land and 5.29 square miles (13.70 km2) is water.[17] Lock and Dam 5A spans the Mississippi River in Winona. The highway bridge connecting Winona to the Wisconsin side of the river is at approximately River Mile 726 (USACE map 31[18]).
Winona's primary suburbs are Goodview, Stockton, Minnesota City and Rollingstone to the west, Homer to the southeast and Bluff Siding is 3 miles directly across the interstate bridge to the north and Fountain City to the north. Rochester is 44 miles to the west of Winona, La Crescent is 21 miles to the south, and La Crosse is 30 miles to the southeast.
Winona is part of the driftless area, a region never covered by ice during the last ice age, that includes southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa, southwestern Wisconsin and northwestern Illinois.
Just northeast of the city, connected to Winona via a number of bridges, is Latsch Island. Officially part of the city since 1998, Latsch Island has been home to a unique community of houseboat ("Boathouse") residents for several decades.
The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Winona as the principal city of the Winona, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA).[19]
Climate
Winona's weather station records the warmest climate of any in Minnesota, with a normal year-round average (1971–2000) temperature of 48.9 °F (9.4 °C)[20] compared to 43.2 °F (6.2 °C) in Austin to the city's southwest or 45.4 °F (7.4 °C) in Minneapolis, to the northwest, which experiences a strong urban heat island effect. Temperatures are generally very mild by Minnesota standards year-round; the January mean is 17.6 °F (−8.0 °C), while that of July is 75.8 °F (24.3 °C). Winona has a humid continental climate (Dfa) with hot, humid summers and cold, snowy winters.
| Climate data for Winona Dam 5 A, Minnesota (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 64 (18) |
73 (23) |
88 (31) |
96 (36) |
107 (42) |
106 (41) |
108 (42) |
103 (39) |
102 (39) |
93 (34) |
84 (29) |
66 (19) |
108 (42) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 44.8 (7.1) |
50.2 (10.1) |
65.8 (18.8) |
78.9 (26.1) |
86.9 (30.5) |
92.4 (33.6) |
93.6 (34.2) |
92.0 (33.3) |
87.9 (31.1) |
81.4 (27.4) |
64.1 (17.8) |
49.9 (9.9) |
95.7 (35.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 25.0 (−3.9) |
30.2 (−1.0) |
42.3 (5.7) |
56.4 (13.6) |
68.7 (20.4) |
78.4 (25.8) |
82.5 (28.1) |
80.6 (27.0) |
73.2 (22.9) |
59.4 (15.2) |
43.5 (6.4) |
30.7 (−0.7) |
55.9 (13.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 16.5 (−8.6) |
20.7 (−6.3) |
33.0 (0.6) |
46.5 (8.1) |
58.4 (14.7) |
68.5 (20.3) |
72.8 (22.7) |
71.0 (21.7) |
63.4 (17.4) |
50.4 (10.2) |
36.3 (2.4) |
23.5 (−4.7) |
46.7 (8.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 8.0 (−13.3) |
11.1 (−11.6) |
23.8 (−4.6) |
36.5 (2.5) |
48.0 (8.9) |
58.6 (14.8) |
63.0 (17.2) |
61.4 (16.3) |
53.6 (12.0) |
41.4 (5.2) |
29.2 (−1.6) |
16.3 (−8.7) |
37.6 (3.1) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −15.3 (−26.3) |
−12.1 (−24.5) |
1.3 (−17.1) |
23.4 (−4.8) |
36.0 (2.2) |
46.5 (8.1) |
54.1 (12.3) |
52.3 (11.3) |
40.5 (4.7) |
27.8 (−2.3) |
13.2 (−10.4) |
−6.1 (−21.2) |
−18.9 (−28.3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −35 (−37) |
−38 (−39) |
−28 (−33) |
4 (−16) |
21 (−6) |
35 (2) |
43 (6) |
33 (1) |
25 (−4) |
7 (−14) |
−11 (−24) |
−31 (−35) |
−38 (−39) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.06 (27) |
1.02 (26) |
1.91 (49) |
3.65 (93) |
4.14 (105) |
4.83 (123) |
4.11 (104) |
4.55 (116) |
3.57 (91) |
2.53 (64) |
1.85 (47) |
1.22 (31) |
34.44 (875) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 9.8 (25) |
9.3 (24) |
5.7 (14) |
1.6 (4.1) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
1.4 (3.6) |
9.5 (24) |
37.6 (96) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 9.6 (24) |
11.4 (29) |
7.7 (20) |
1.1 (2.8) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.0 (2.5) |
7.1 (18) |
14.1 (36) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 8.6 | 7.6 | 9.0 | 11.8 | 13.0 | 12.2 | 10.1 | 9.4 | 9.5 | 9.6 | 7.5 | 9.0 | 117.3 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 5.3 | 4.4 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 4.7 | 18.6 |
| Source: NOAA[21][22][23] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 2,464 | — | |
| 1870 | 7,192 | 191.9% | |
| 1880 | 10,208 | 41.9% | |
| 1890 | 18,208 | 78.4% | |
| 1900 | 19,714 | 8.3% | |
| 1910 | 18,583 | −5.7% | |
| 1920 | 19,143 | 3.0% | |
| 1930 | 20,850 | 8.9% | |
| 1940 | 22,490 | 7.9% | |
| 1950 | 25,031 | 11.3% | |
| 1960 | 24,895 | −0.5% | |
| 1970 | 26,438 | 6.2% | |
| 1980 | 25,075 | −5.2% | |
| 1990 | 25,399 | 1.3% | |
| 2000 | 27,069 | 6.6% | |
| 2010 | 27,592 | 1.9% | |
| 2020 | 25,948 | −6.0% | |
| 2022 (est.) | 25,842 | [6] | −0.4% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[24] 2020 Census[5] | |||
2020 census
As of the census of 2020,[25] the population was 25,948. The population density was 1,363.5 inhabitants per square mile (526.5/km2). There were 11,525 housing units at an average density of 605.6 per square mile (233.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 89.3% White, 2.8% Black or African American, 2.2% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 1.3% from other races, and 4.2% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 3.2% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 27,592 people, 10,449 households, and 5,022 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,464.5 inhabitants per square mile (565.4/km2). There were 10,989 housing units at an average density of 583.3 per square mile (225.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 93.0% White, 1.9% African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.9% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population.
There were 10,449 households, of which 20.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.4% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 51.9% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.84.
The median age in the city was 26.7 years. 14.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 33.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.5% were from 25 to 44; 20.5% were from 45 to 64; and 13.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.3% male and 52.7% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,069 residents. The population density was 1,485.0 inhabitants per square mile (573.4/km2). There were 10,666 housing units at an average density of 585.1 per square mile (225.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.47% White, 1.13% African American, 0.23% Native American, 2.65% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.35% of the population.
Ancestries: German (43.2%), Norwegian (15.5%), Polish (14.8%), Irish (13.0%), English (5.5%), French (3.6%).
There were 10,301 households, out of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.4% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.3% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 18.0% under the age of 18, 27.5% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,845, and the median income for a family was $48,413. Males had a median income of $31,047 versus $23,302 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,783. About 6.5% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Winona is home to the headquarters of the Watkins Corporation, Fastenal, Thern Inc., Knitcraft Corporation, RTP Company, We-No-Nah Canoe,[26] United Building Centers, Badger Equipment Company,[27] Winona Lighting, Hal Leonard Music, WinCraft Sports, and Winona Pattern & Mold.[28] Bay State Milling operates a grain processing facility in Winona and was founded there in 1899.[citation needed]
Winona is also known as the stained glass capital of the United States.[29]
Winona is home to the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and fish Refuge. https://www.fws.gov/refuge/upper-mississippi-river
Fastenal, headquartered in Winona.[30], ranked number 479 in the 2021 Fortune 500 based on its 2020 revenues. In 2023 Fastenal fell to number 514. https://tcbmag.com/minnesota-now-has-15-fortune-500-companies/ Its stock is a component of the Nasdaq 100 index.
Top employers
According to the City's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[31] the largest employers in the city are: