Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
When I was growing up there, there was not one person of color there in the 1960s so, as people of different races are moving there, older Winona citizens don't seem too happy about that. But they are becoming more open-minded about it as time goes by. There is also homophobia because it is still kind of a sheltered community--people who have lived there all their lives think that there are no gay people if they don't come out. People are still pretty conservative. There are probably as many bars as churches and there are a lot of churches. Most of my relatives who live in and around Winona are typical of older people there in regards to leaving Winona, even to take trips. For example, my Mother thinks driving an hour to Rochester or on any major highway, especially if there are on and off ramps, is too stressful to try. Even my sister, who is a little over 50, panics at the thought of driving to the Twin Cities and rarely do people I know from Winona or around the area go to the Cities since they think the driving is too scary.
You basically summed up my own hometown of Scranton, PA, and probably every other smaller city in America! As such, I wouldn't cancel my plans to move to Winona just because of the "coldness" of the locals towards minorities. Here in Scranton, we're just under two hours from Times Square in Midtown Manhattan, but we're obviously decades apart! While you could head to Broadway and see Asian immigrants handing out political protest flyers, women wearing Burkkhas, two men walking hand-in-hand, and rabbis talking to priests, here you're lucky to see even one non-white, non-Christian, or non-"straight" person in a typical day!
As a gay person myself, I can tell you that Scranton's benefits far outweigh its narrow-mindedness. Comparing Winona to Scranton, both are very convenient to major urban areas (Scranton to NYC and Winona to the Twin Cities), both offer breathtaking scenery (A drive along the Mississippi River in SE MN or a drive through the Poconos in NE PA), both have blue-collar roots (factories in Winona and coal mines in Scranton), both are infused with culture from local colleges, and both seem to be rather "suspicious" towards "outsiders", especially if he/she happens to be of minority status . Here in Scranton, there was a quiet uproar in my snooty subdivision when a Lesbian couple from Philadelphia was pondering buying a home here (Little do they know that they have "closeted" gays among them as friends already, but I digress).
One thing I've noticed about Scranton though in recent years is that the economy is diversifying and people are starting to shed their "inbred" image and are becoming more accepting and more sophisticated (Especially my current "Generation X") I suspect Winona, being so close to the Twin Cities, will likewise see its economy shift towards more opportunity and the people will become less hostile towards gays, Hispanics, and other minorities.
I've never been to Winona, but MN (along with MA) were my top two states for relocation consideration when I was considering leaving for college two years ago, and I even looked into a college in Rochester. Now, I've decided to give Scranton a chance to see if it can continue to "Manhattanize" itself with its trendy new coffeeshops, boutiques, art galleries, etc. and become a better place to live as a minority, but MN is still in my heart (Perhaps I'll buy a WINTER home there someday! I LOVE the snow! )
From what I've seen online, Winona looks to be a great place to live. Don't let these comments about "racism and homophobia" throw you off, as she just described EVERY small, inland city in America! Best of luck to you!
Nice area, beautiful river bluff scenery, great bike trails. Close enough to the Cities to make a day trip up there if you crave shopping a large mall.
Hi, I am going to Winona to visit my mother in senior housing. I grew up in Winona. After Cotter High School I went to nursing college. Spent 1 year in area and bored stiff. Moved to Mountain View, Ca 10 years ago.
Hospital: small and if you have life threatening evant you are transferred to La Crosse, WI (26 miles) or Rochester St. Mary's (Mayo Clinic). I don't know if they have a cardiologist or neurologist in town.
Downtown: rundown, vacant stores
Restaurants: multiple fast foods. Nicest associated with Holiday Inn.
East side: new Target, Wal-Mart, next to fleet farm.
West side: Hy-Vee grocery store, more fast food restaurants.
Winona Daily Newspaper: Read on line for more information. Read police blotter.
Speed trap: road connecting east and west side is well known speed trap for people from out of town. Your name can be in police blotter for going 38 in 35 mile zone.
Movies: small cinema
Snow: Alernate street parking in winter. Traffic tickets
Culture: after Washington there is none
Universities: my brother finished his BS at Winona State. Attended St. Mary's couple years. Rich kids from Chicago hung together. He moved to Oregon. Now has phD.
Employers: Fastenal the biggest. Factory jobs.
Kids get an education and move to Minneapolis or St. Paul
Summers: hot,sweat, mosquitoes
Lake: polluted, algae
Mississippi River beautiful view. Bridge connects to Wisconsin. Small towns surround Winona.
Shopping: no athletic, sport shoe stores unless you shop at Fleet Farm or Wal-Mart.
Positive: the area grows on you. The weather report becomes more important. There is crime.
Please,please get free Winona daily newspaper on line.
I grew up in Winona and attended all schools. Left to go to nursing college. Stayed a year, no social or cultural life. Moved to Mtn View, CA. Been here since. I go back every fall to visit my mother and relatives and go Oct. 13.
Please read Winona Daily Newspaper on line.
Medical care: small, friendly hospital. Any serious problem they promptly transfer you to Rochester or La Crosse. Last time I checked they lacked neurosurgeon,cardiologist and heart/vascular surgery.
Restaurants:Fast food. Green Mill attached to Holiday Inn is probably best in town. No real ethnic. Have 1 Mexican and Chinese, but if you are from Bellview, WA you will not be pleased.
Traffic:trucks drive fast. I never see Volvo.
Speed limits: extremely important!!! Winona is noted speed trap and you can read police blotter in paper on line. Area from Wal-Mart to turn off to St. Mary's grabs the stranger.
People: friendly, most stay close to Winona. Bridge across the Mississipi to Wisconsin. Farmers come into town to shop and get supplies.
Small cinema, college plays and you need to go to La Crosse or Rochester for more.
Stores: Wal-Mart,Fleet Farm,Target east end of town. My cousin gets athletic shoes for boys in LaCrosse. Limited selection at Fleet Farm.
Lake: polluted, algae but scenic.
River: learn to love boating and fishing. Don't know how safe to eat fish.
My siblings all moved away.
My brother attended St. Mary's 2 years. Was a townie and rich kids from Chicago stuck together. Terrible drunken driving accident in last 10 years. Speeding and students went into river and drowned. Many taverns.
Churches:many. Ethnics: very few.
Have positive outlook and take advantage of Winona.
I grew up in Winona and attended all schools. Left to go to nursing college. Stayed a year, no social or cultural life. Moved to Mtn View, CA. Been here since. I go back every fall to visit my mother and relatives and go Oct. 13.
Please read Winona Daily Newspaper on line.
Medical care: small, friendly hospital. Any serious problem they promptly transfer you to Rochester or La Crosse. Last time I checked they lacked neurosurgeon,cardiologist and heart/vascular surgery.
Restaurants:Fast food. Green Mill attached to Holiday Inn is probably best in town. No real ethnic. Have 1 Mexican and Chinese, but if you are from Bellview, WA you will not be pleased.
Traffic:trucks drive fast. I never see Volvo.
Speed limits: extremely important!!! Winona is noted speed trap and you can read police blotter in paper on line. Area from Wal-Mart to turn off to St. Mary's grabs the stranger.
People: friendly, most stay close to Winona. Bridge across the Mississipi to Wisconsin. Farmers come into town to shop and get supplies.
Small cinema, college plays and you need to go to La Crosse or Rochester for more.
Stores: Wal-Mart,Fleet Farm,Target east end of town. My cousin gets athletic shoes for boys in LaCrosse. Limited selection at Fleet Farm.
Lake: polluted, algae but scenic.
River: learn to love boating and fishing. Don't know how safe to eat fish.
My siblings all moved away.
My brother attended St. Mary's 2 years. Was a townie and rich kids from Chicago stuck together. Terrible drunken driving accident in last 10 years. Speeding and students went into river and drowned. Many taverns.
Churches:many. Ethnics: very few.
Have positive outlook and take advantage of Winona.
I find the responses so far to be very interesting. Those who grew up here and left have a very negative and dated opinion and those who are here are all raising families here. Personally, I moved here 11 years ago and in taking a promotion to a global position stipulated I would be allowed to stay.
Most of the medical information from the nursing majors who left was correct at one time. However, the hospital and clinic completed a multi-million dollar upgrade and addition this last year. There are three floor on a large campus with brand new equipement in just about every department. My children were all born here and I was impessed with the service and facilities then, now they are even better. In fact, the Winoona Clinic was rated as "top ten" in the state within the medical field. The service is directed toward emergencies and short term care issues. With the nationally recognized and awesome hospitals of Mayo and Gundersen both within an hour drive, why would a small town compete?
Winona is a college town, even if the elder residents refuse to admit it. Winona State is the largest employer in town and St. Mary's - MN and Southest Technical are both in town as well.
Other large employers include Fastenal, Peerless Chain, UBC, Watkins Company, and RTP who all have their national headquarters here. The next two largest employers, after WSU and Fastenal, are Benchmark Electronics and TRW.
Unemployment in town rarely exceeds 2% and jobs range from service oriented to professional to engineering.
Winona's location and beauty are hard to beat for Minnesota.
Airports: LSE is 30 minutes away, RST about 50 minutes. There is even a small airport serviing charters in twon that once served DC-9 sized planes for Northwest back in the 1970's.
If you enjoy the outdoors, there is no shortage of opportunities to enjoy it. You just have to know where to look.
The school system continues to struggle based on some questionable leadership. But, that appears to be changing given recent elections and still remains an excellent education system as a whole. Private school systems(Catholic and Lutheren) also exist in town.
Many little towns arond Winona have their own charm and housing advantages, but living in the river valley often has a significant impact on weather. It is not uncommon for Winona to have more 90 degree days in teh summer than Atlanta, GA and to be as much as ten degrees warmed than St. Paul in the winter. 'Ol man River has his benefits.
I found some of the comments about "being suspicious of outsiders", "homophobia" and "racism" interesting. I personally have not seen it. Do I doubt it exists in small pockets or among the lifetime residents, sorry, no I don't. To address the comments specifically:
I was easily accepted upon my arrival 11 years agao and have not seen anything to suggest differently now.
I'm not gay personally, but am aware that LaCrosse, WI has a "decent" sized community and there is even a "gay bar" downtown.
There continues to be a small Black and Mong populations in town. To suggest they contribute to crime any differently than anyone else would be a stretch. College students and their related issues almost always get more press.
As for the "sped trap" ... wlecome to a small town. I agree that the main drag through downtown (Broadway St.) is often a trap, as well as areas of Hwy. 61 where it drops to 45 mph. But, there are also stretches of Hwy 61 in town where 70 is far game so hold on ...
In short, I love it here and I grew up bouncing from Chicago to Atlanta and smaller as I went. I may not have been born here, but it is home.
I liked Winona and would take day trips to it and on both sides of the river their.but I don't know how it is to live their.I do remember the gas was cheaper hope that helps.
NUTILE1011...so sorry your Winona experience has been so negative. Permit me to clarify some of your (mis)observations. Downtown has no empty stores and certainly none are "run down" however most are located within some very beautiful historic buildings. There are (as you stated ) MANY fast food restaurants,but there are also many family restaurants;Timbers,Perkins,Wellington's,Beier's,G reen Mill,Sammy's,Tequilla's,Chula Vista,.....East side also has to strip malls(one is still under construction(as Winona IS expanding) and a Menards. East Lake (not polluted) and heavy plant growth(actually a strong indication of a healthy lake environment) and much wildlife and water fowl.West side also has a strip mall and a very nice golf course. Speed-trap?--well don't speed, and it isn't trapped at all. And there is NO ONE on record as getting a ticket for going 38 in a 35 zone. Movies-yes it is a small theater(hey, it's a small town) but there are 6 screens and no less than 8 new films each week. Snow- yes alternate-side parking is a nuisance but a practical one.Culture-after Washington there is none? (What does THAT mean?) There is much culture in Winona and is displayed through community activities,parades,arts,festivals,fairs,museums. Summers ARE hot,sweaty,and "buggy"...isn't summer like that most places? Besides we are surrounded by water; the river,the lakes and public pool. There is fun for everyone;Picnic,camping,boating,swimming,parks,wil dlife,a deer park. And The Hospital has recently had a total make-over and upgrade. And DOES have a cardiologist(for the last 20 years that I know of). Winona isn't paradise but it IS a pleasant and friendly town that strives to continually meet the needs of residents,students,and visitors. Maybe you can take a second look around,with an open mind, I'll bet you see more positive than negative
Hi, I am going to Winona to visit my mother in senior housing. I grew up in Winona. After Cotter High School I went to nursing college. Spent 1 year in area and bored stiff. Moved to Mountain View, Ca 10 years ago.
Hospital: small and if you have life threatening evant you are transferred to La Crosse, WI (26 miles) or Rochester St. Mary's (Mayo Clinic). I don't know if they have a cardiologist or neurologist in town.
Downtown: rundown, vacant stores
Restaurants: multiple fast foods. Nicest associated with Holiday Inn.
East side: new Target, Wal-Mart, next to fleet farm.
West side: Hy-Vee grocery store, more fast food restaurants.
Winona Daily Newspaper: Read on line for more information. Read police blotter.
Speed trap: road connecting east and west side is well known speed trap for people from out of town. Your name can be in police blotter for going 38 in 35 mile zone.
Movies: small cinema
Snow: Alernate street parking in winter. Traffic tickets
Culture: after Washington there is none
Universities: my brother finished his BS at Winona State. Attended St. Mary's couple years. Rich kids from Chicago hung together. He moved to Oregon. Now has phD.
Employers: Fastenal the biggest. Factory jobs.
Kids get an education and move to Minneapolis or St. Paul
Summers: hot,sweat, mosquitoes
Lake: polluted, algae
Mississippi River beautiful view. Bridge connects to Wisconsin. Small towns surround Winona.
Shopping: no athletic, sport shoe stores unless you shop at Fleet Farm or Wal-Mart.
Positive: the area grows on you. The weather report becomes more important. There is crime.
Please,please get free Winona daily newspaper on line.
I live right across the river from Winona on the WI side, and I can agree with EVERYTHING said here! The worst thing about this area is you have to travel to get to anything. We have to go to La Crosse to grocery shop, as I refuse to buy groceries at Walmart, and HyVee and the two smaller groceries in Winona are expensive and don't have a great selection. So for us it's an almost 100 mile round trip for groceries at Woodman's. Same for medical- we do go to the dentist in Winona, but have had bad experiences with both the hospital and clinic in Winona, so we go to La Crosse for that too. Had all three babies in La Crosse. It's a pretty area, but that's pretty much where it ends. Not much else going for the area. Huge college drinking town, the streets swarm with drunk college students every weekend night during the school year. When the bars close at 1 am, they come across the river to get in one more hour before closing time in WI, and then drive back.
We moved here seven years ago from central WI, and are now looking at moving to TN.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
As such, I wouldn't cancel my plans to move to Winona just because of the "coldness" of the locals towards minorities. Here in Scranton, we're just under two hours from Times Square in Midtown Manhattan, but we're obviously decades apart! While you could head to Broadway and see Asian immigrants handing out political protest flyers, women wearing Burkkhas, two men walking hand-in-hand, and rabbis talking to priests, here you're lucky to see even one non-white, non-Christian, or non-"straight" person in a typical day! 
hospital, cultural activites
