Overview

Introduction to Winona, Minnesota

The city of Winona, county seat of Winona County, is located in southeastern Minnesota on the banks of the Mississippi River. The city is situated 50 miles east of Rochester and about 135 miles southeast of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Home to Winona State University and Saint Mary's College, the city is a commercial, manufacturing, and shipping center nestled within an agricultural and limestone-quarrying region.

Founded in 1851 by a steamboat captain and incorporated in 1857, Winona's was originally named Montezuma but was later renamed for a Dakota Indian princess (Winona is the phonetic pronunciation of the Dakota term meaning "first-born daughter"). The year 1858 saw the establishment of Winona Normal School in the city, a school which later became Winona State University. In 1912, St. Mary's College was founded as a private Roman Catholic school which later went on to become St. Mary's University.

Things to See and Do in Winona

Winona maintains a lively arts scene. In addition to the arts introduced to the community by its local educational institutions, Winona has two professional theater companies. The Great River Shakespeare Festival runs six weeks each summer, showcasing two Shakespeare plays in repertory. The Theatre du Mississippi presents original live plays and locally produced films in a variety of venues including the turn-of-the- century Masonic Theatre as well as outdoor sites. Housed in a 1915 brick fortress reminiscent of its original purpose as an armory, the Winona County Historical Museum displays artifacts depicting Winona's city and county history. The Minnesota Marine Art Museum, encompassing works of international and local artists, currently features four major art collections and will soon present a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers river dredge as an exhibit. Other cultural and historic sites include:

  • Merchants Bank: A Prairie School style building originally completed in 1912
  • Pickwick Mill: An 1850s six-story pioneer mill which was used for grounding flour for the Civil War
  • Church of Saint Stanislaus Kostka: An 1894 structure featuring unique architecture
  • Arches Museum
  • Bunnell House
  • Julius C. Wilkie Steamboat Center
  • Polish Cultural Institute of Winona
  • Watkins Heritage Museum

Winona is not lacking in outdoor attractions. Some of its more popular are:

  • Sugar Loaf Mountain: An historic site towering 500 feet over Lake Winona
  • Rockie Hill Bison Farm
  • Julia Belle Swain Steamboat
  • C. A. Rohrer Rose Garden
  • Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge

Winona is rich in college sports, owing to the presence of Winona State University's athletic teams. Known as the Warriors, the University's teams compete in the NCAA's Division II and participate in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) with the exception of the men's tennis team (North Central Conference) and the women's gymnastics team (Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference). The Warriors football team has won the NSIC conference championship nine times since 1993 and its men's basketball team recently captured the 2006 NCAA Division II Basketball Championship, the first NCAA title for the University.

Sports fans willing to take the two-hour drive north to Minneapolis-St. Paul will be rewarded with a plethora of teams in a variety of professional sports. Major League Baseball's Minnesota Twins reside there, as do the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. Pro basketball fans can see the National Basketball Association's Minnesota Timberwolves or the Women's National Basketball Association's Minnesota Lynx. Major league hockey resides there too, embodied by the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League. Also located in the Twin Cities are the United Soccer League's Minnesota Thunder and the National Lacrosse League's Minnesota Swarm.

Demographics

People

Total Population26,981
Male Share of the Population47.5%
Female Share of the Population52.5%
Senior Citizens16.3%
Employed Population 16+15,098
Age of the Population29

Families

% of people married34%
Average household size2

Education and Earnings

Population % with Bachelor Degree or Higher25.3%
Median Earnings25+$33,579
Median Earnings Without High School Qualification$17,564
Median Earnings With High School Degree$26,381

Wealth

Median Family Income$71,028
% Above Poverty Level80.1%
% Below Poverty Level19.9%

Commute & Sprawl

Average Commute Time14 minutes
% Working from Home3.6%
% Walking and Biking to Work10.9%
% Using Public Transportation2.7%

Housing

People Living Alone38.5%
Median Gross Rent$653
Median House Value$140,600

Ancestry

German40.4%
Norwegian16.6%
Irish12.5%
Polish12.3%
Other(often includes Hispanic and African American)9.8%
English5.5%
Swedish4.3%
French Except Basque2.6%
Czech2.2%
Italian2%
Scottish1.4%
Dutch1.3%
Danishn1.1%
Finnish0.9%
Luxemburger0.8%
Russian0.7%
Canadian0.5%
Welsh0.5%
African0.4%
Austrian0.4%
Romanian0.3%
Swiss0.3%
Hungarian0.3%
Iranian0.3%
Arab0.3%
Slovak0.2%
Croatian0.2%
Ukrainian0.2%
Syrian0.1%
Lebanese0.1%
Ugandan0.1%
Slovene0.1%
Belgian0.1%
Serbian0.1%
Portuguese0.1%
Australian0.1%
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Winona Almanac

CategoryValue
CountyWinona County
Standard Zip Codes55987
Phone Area Codes507
Time ZoneAmerica/Chicago
Approximate Latitude44.04
Approximate Longitude-91.65

Winona Climate

Nearest Weather Stations

Notes:

  • Temp ranges are avg daily min and max for the month
  • Precipitation is rainfall (and rainfall equiv of snowfall)

StationWINONA
Distance0.3 miles
Jan Temp9 to 26 F
Apr Temp40 to 60 F
Jul Temp66 to 85 F
Oct Temp43 to 62 F
Annual Precip34.2 inches
StationDODGE
Distance7.3 miles
Jan Temp2 to 26 F
Apr Temp33 to 60 F
Jul Temp58 to 85 F
Oct Temp36 to 62 F
Annual Precip33.6 inches
StationCALEDONIA
Distance29.6 miles
Jan Temp3 to 22 F
Apr Temp34 to 56 F
Jul Temp60 to 82 F
Oct Temp37 to 59 F
Annual Precip34.9 inches

Nearby Cities and Towns

LocationPopulationMedian Family Income
Goodview4,105$69,053
Lewiston1,639$75,813
Minneiska103$81,250
Minnesota City162$73,750
Rollingstone646$77,250
Stockton755$71,563

Winona Public Libraries

Winona Public Library
151 W FIFTH STREET
Winona, Minnesota
(507) 452-4582

library logo

More Information for Librarians

Winona Hospitals

Winona Health Services
(Non-profit)
855 Mankato Avenue
(507) 454-3650

Winona Public Schools

Bluffview Montessori
1321 Gilmore Ave
ZIP: 55987
(507) 452-2807
Primary
Total Enrollment 189
Goodview Elementary
5100 9th St
ZIP: 55987
(507) 494-2400
Primary
Total Enrollment 186
Jefferson Elementary
1268 W 5th St
ZIP: 55987
(507) 494-2000
Primary
Total Enrollment 370
Madison Elementary
515 W Wabasha
ZIP: 55987
(507) 494-2200
Primary
Total Enrollment 190
Riverway Learning Community Chtr
1733 Service Drive Ste 18
ZIP: 55987
(507) 474-6120
Primary
Total Enrollment 55
Riverway Secondary
1733 Service Drive Ste 18
ZIP: 55987
(507) 474-6120
High
Total Enrollment 42
Washington-kosciusko Elementary
365 Mankato Ave
ZIP: 55987
(507) 494-2100
Primary
Total Enrollment 281
Winona Area Learning Center
1299 West 3rd St
ZIP: 55987
(507) 494-1460
Other
Total Enrollment 88
Winona Early Childhood Special Ed.
903 Gilmore Ave
ZIP: 55987
(507) 494-0840
Primary
Total Enrollment 69
Winona Middle
1570 Homer Rd
ZIP: 55987
(507) 494-1000
Middle
Total Enrollment 924
Winona Senior High
901 Gilmore Ave
ZIP: 55987
(507) 494-1504
High
Total Enrollment 999

Winona Private Schools

Cotter High School & Junior High School
1115 W Broadway St
ZIP: 55987
Secondary
Total Enrollment 385
Hope Lutheran High School
253 Liberty St
ZIP: 55987
Secondary
Total Enrollment 49
St Martin S Lutheran School
253 Liberty St
ZIP: 55987
Elementary
Total Enrollment 64
St Matthews Lutheran School
756 W Wabasha St
ZIP: 55987
Elementary
Total Enrollment 82
Winona Area Catholic Schools
602 E 5th St
ZIP: 55987
Elementary
Total Enrollment 285
Sources :
Additional Details
Winona Colleges
Winona colleges and trade schools.
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Historic Winona

photo

Court House between 1880 and 1899

Select a photo to view (Source):

Court House between 1880 and 1899

Winona Hotel between 1880 and 1899

Residences on Broadway between 1880 and 1899

Additional Resources
Info for Winona Government Officials


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