Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the state of Minnesota. Located in picturesque bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf. The city is named after legendary figure Winona, said to have been the first-born daughter of Chief Wapasha (Wabasha) III. The population was 27,592 at the 2010 census.
History
The city of Winona began on the site of a Native American village named Keoxa. The seat of the Wapasha dynasty, Keoxa was home to a Mdewakanton band of the eastern Sioux.
Non-Native Americans settled the area in 1851 and laid out the town into lots in 1852 and 1853. The original settlers were Yankee immigrants from New England. The population increased from 815 in December, 1855, to 3,000 in December, 1856. In 1856 German immigrants arrived as well. 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." For a time, Winona had more millionaires than any other city of its size in the United States.
The railroad and steamboat transportation industries helped Winona grow into a small city that diversified into wheat milling, and lumber production. In 1856, over 1,300 steamboats stopped at Winona. The railway system grew and the Winona Railway Bridge, built of steel and iron with a steam-powered swingspan over the river, was the second railway bridge to span the Mississippi. The first train crossed on July 4, 1891 and the bridge served the Green Bay & Western (GBW) and Burlington Route for the next 94 years until it was closed in 1985 and dismantled in the fall of 1990. In 1892, a wagon toll-bridge over the Mississippi, a steel high-bridge, was completed and remained in service until 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.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.13 square miles (62.50Â km2); 18.84 square miles (48.80Â km2) is land and 5.29 square miles (13.70Â km2) is water.
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.
Climate
Winona's weather station records the warmest climate of any in Minnesota, with a normal year-round average (1971â€"2000) temperature of 48.9 °F,"Temperature Summary Station: 219067 WINONA, MN,1971â€"2000 NCDC Normals". Historical Climate Data. Retrieved 2007-12-16. compared to 43.2° in Austin to the city's southwest or 45.4° 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°, while that of July is 75.8°.
Micropolitan area
The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Winona as the principal city of the Winona, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area (µSA).
Demographics
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 people per square mile (573.3/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
Transportation
U.S. Highway 14, U.S. Highway 61, Minnesota Highway 43 and Wisconsin State Highway 54 are the main routes into the city. Interstate Highway 90 is located a short distance south of the city.
As a rail center, Winona was once served by five freight and passenger railroads; Milwaukee Road (CMStP&P), Burlington Route (CB&Q), Chicago & Northwestern (C&NW), Chicago Great Western (CGW) and Green Bay & Western (GB&W). Only the former Milwaukee Road station remains and is now served by Amtrak's Empire Builder daily in each direction between Chicago and Seattle and Portland. The Milwaukee Road is now Canadian Pacific, as is the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern, which operates the former Chicago & North Western line from Winona to the west.
Winona Municipal Airport - Max Conrad Field serves general aviation in the area. It was once served by one passenger airliner, North Central Airlines until the mid-1970s.
Industry
Winona is home to the headquarters of the Watkins Corporation, Fastenal, Thern Inc., RTP Company, We-No-Nah Canoe, United Building Centers, Badger Equipment Company, Winona Lighting, WinCraft Sports, and Winona Pattern & Mold.
Winona is also known as the stained glass capital of the United States. Winona is the setting of the Civil War era romance novel, Ladyslipper by Winona native, Donna G. Weber (1951-2012).
Top employers
According to the City's 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
Government and politics
Winona is located in Minnesota's 1st congressional district, represented by Mankato educator Tim Walz, a Democrat. At the state level, Winona is located in Senate District 28, represented by Republican Jeremy Miller, and in House District 28A, represented by Democrat Gene Pelowski.
Education
Winona became the site of the first normal school west of the Mississippi in 1858 with the establishment of Winona Normal School (now Winona State University). This was the beginning of Winona's tradition as a center of higher education. Saint Mary's College (now Saint Mary's University) was founded as a private Catholic school in 1912. Later, as the necessary opportunity of higher education for women became apparent, the College of Saint Teresa was created. After Saint Mary's became co-ed in 1969, Saint Teresa closed down in 1988, and its facilities are now used, owned, and/or operated by Winona State University, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, and Cotter High School. Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical also has a campus in Winona.
There is also a relatively diverse variety of K-12 educational opportunities. Run by Independent School District 861, the local public school system includes five elementary schools (three in the city of Winona), the Winona Middle School, and the Winona Senior High School. The Winona Area Catholic Schools system includes St. Mary's primary school, St. Stanislaus Elementary School, Cotter Junior High School, and Cotter Senior High School. There are also other non-preparatory private schools. Bluffview Montessori Charter School, located in Winona, was the first charter Montessori, and the second charter school overall in the United States. There are also two private Lutheran K-8 schools, and Hope Lutheran High School.
Media
Winona has two newspapers: the Winona Daily News, a daily morning paper; and the Winona Post, a semi-weekly paper with mid-week and Sunday editions. Papers from La Crosse, Rochester, and the Twin Cities are also commonly read.
- Television
Winona receives TV signals from neighboring cities, including several channels each from La Crosse, Rochester, Eau Claire, and the Twin Cities, although what can be received depends on the location within the area, as the extensive system of valleys and ridges may block any or all signals. There is one local public broadcasting TV network, HBCI, which is available only to subscribers of the HBC cable company.
- Radio
FM
AM
Notable people
- Carol Bartz, former CEO of Yahoo!, formerly of Autodesk
- Charles H. Berry, first Attorney General of Minnesota
- Paul Breza, Roman Catholic priest and founder of Winona's Polish Cultural Institute and Museum
- Robert Henry Brom, Roman Catholic bishop
- Alec Brown, NBA player
- Elliott Heath, distance runner
- Garrett Heath, distance runner
- Roger Busdicker, co-founder of Hal Leonard Corporation
- Jan Romuald Byzewski OFM, pastor of Saint Stanislaus Kostka Parish and founder of the Polish-language newspaper Wiarus
- Tracy Caulkins, swimmer, three-time Olympic gold medalist
- Max Conrad, aviator
- James Earle Fraser (1876â€"1953), sculptor, designer of the Buffalo Nickel and the "End of the Trail" statue
- Paul Giel, athlete, two-time Big Ten Player of the Year, member of College Football Hall of Fame
- Mabel Farrington Gifford, expert on speech defects and disorders
- James "J. R." Keller, state senator and representative
- Bob Kierlin, businessman and politician
- John G. McMynn, Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction
- William D. Mitchell, United States Attorney General under presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover
- Thomas H. Moodie, North Dakota governor
- Anne Pellowski, author, educator, and Kashubian American activist, received her high school education in Winona and lived there upon retirement.
- Winona Ryder, actress (born in nearby Olmsted County, Minnesota but named after the city)
- Eleanor Joy Toll, Los Angeles-area educator and clubwoman
- Joseph Ray Watkins, was a citizen and an entrepreneur and founder of Watkins Incorporated.
- Julie Wera, infielder with 1927 New York Yankees
- William Windom, actor, and his great grandfather, politician William Windom (1827â€"1891), who served as a Republican member of both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate from Minnesota; later became Secretary of the Treasury under presidents James Garfield, Chester Arthur and Benjamin Harrison; the actor William Windom's character of "Glen Morley" in The Farmer's Daughter television series (1963) was also a congressman from Minnesota
- Cat Zingano, mixed martial artist
Sister cities
- Bytów, Poland
- Misato, Miyagi, Japan
- Winona Sister-City Website
Landmark
Sugar Loaf is river bluff topped by a distinctive rock pinnacle, which was left after quarrying activity in the 19th century. It is located at the junction of Highway 61 and Highway 43/Mankato Avenue.
References
External links
- City of Winona, MN â€" Official Website
- Winona Chamber of Commerce
- Visit Winona
- Winona State University
- St. Mary's University of Minnesota
- Winona Daily News
- Winona Area Public Schools
- Winona Cotter Schools
