Difference between revisions of "Winona, Missouri"

Revision as of 04:30, November 27, 2020

Winona is a city in southern Shannon County, Missouri. It had a population of 1,335 at the 2010 census, making it the largest city in the county.

History

Winona came into existence during the 1880s, thanks to the virgin pine and hardwood forests that covered the Ozarks at that time and that were just starting to be accessed by railroads and timber companies. A post office with the name "Winona" definitely existed by 1889.

The name was bestowed on the new community by some of the arriving lumbermen, who dubbed it in honor of their hometown of Winona in Minnesota. A term for a firstborn child among the Sioux Indian tribe, it was very well-known in the 19th century, and twenty other states have a town with that name as well.^[1]

After an initial burst of activity around 1890, Winona's population rapidly declined after the local timber was cut, only beginning to recover in the 1920s, due in large part to the construction of what would become U.S. Route 60, part of the expanding network of federal highways, along the southern edge of town, bringing it considerable business from long-distance drivers. Following the burning of the courthouse in Eminence in 1938, there was an attempt to move the county seat to Winona, but voters rejected this proposal.^[2] The city continued to grow, however, thanks to its proximity to the federal highway; it crossed the 1,000 mark in the 1970s, and has since risen to over 1,300 residents.

Geography

Winona lies in southeastern Shannon County, its city center located just north of the intersection of U.S. 60 and Missouri State Highway 19. It is about nine miles east of Birch Tree, and about ten miles south-southeast of Eminence. Its exact coordinates are 37°00’25”N 91°19’44”W.

The city lies in an upland plateau of sorts near the headwaters of Rocky Creek, a small tributary of the Current River, and is completely within a portion of the Mark Twain National Forest. It has a total area of 3.81 square miles, and an average elevation of 932 feet.^[3]

Demographics

At the 2010 census, Winona had a total of 1,335 inhabitants, grouped into 529 households, with a population density of 350.4 people per square mile. This figure represented a slight increase from the 2000 census, when Winona had a population of 1,290. 96.93% of the inhabitants were White, 0.07% were African-American, 0.82% were Native American, 0.07% were Asian, 0.15% were from some other race, and 1.95% were from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 1.50% of the population.

The median age in Winona was 34.1 years, with 30.0% of inhabitants under the age of 18, 9.1% between 18 and 24 years old, 23.8% between 25 and 44, 24.1% between 45 and 64, and 13.0% 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 49.6% male, 50.4% female.^[4]

According to the 2018 American Community Survey, Winona had a median household income of $21,341, and a median family income of $23,636. The unemployment rate was 11.5%. The per capita income was $12,982. About 31.6% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 39.8% of people under the age of 18 and 3.1% of people 65 years old or older.^[5]

Education

Winona and the surrounding area are served by the Winona R-III School District, a PK-12 public institution with a total enrollment of around 430 students.^[6] Its mascot is the Wildcats, and the school colors are yellow, white, and purple.^[7]

References