[7] Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf.

[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.

[11] The railroad and steamboat transportation industries helped Winona grow into a small city that diversified into wheat milling, and lumber production.

[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'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.

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.

[19] 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).

[28] Bay State Milling operates a grain processing facility in Winona and was founded there in 1899.

By the early 20th century, J.R. Watkins had become one of the largest direct-sales companies in the United States.

The company headquarters, a complex of seven buildings, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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.

[32][33] The Great River Shakespeare Festival stages professional productions of Shakespeare's plays each summer, while the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts provides a full spectrum of artistic training and performances.

[35] The Winona County History Center, made up of two buildings, the historic Winona Armory and the modern Laird Norton Addition, offers exhibits in its museum and art gallery, and exploration of the region's history in their Laird Lucas Library and Archives.

Winona is located in Minnesota's 1st congressional district, represented by Brad Finstad, a Republican.

[49] Later, as the necessary opportunity of higher education for women became apparent, the College of Saint Teresa was created.

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.

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 owned by Canadian Pacific, as is the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern, which operates the former Chicago & North Western line from Winona to the west.

The Winona Transit Service provides public bus transportation six days per week.

[63] Winona Municipal Airport - Max Conrad Field serves general aviation in the area.