Winona County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 51,461. Its county seat is Winona.
The name of the county is said to derive from a Dakota legend regarding a woman, referred to Winona, who was betrothed to marry a warrior whom she did not love. Rather than marry him, she is said to have leapt to her death from a rock now called "Maiden's Rock" on Lake Pepin. This legend is colloquially referred to as the Princess Winona legend.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 642 square miles (1,662 kmē), of which 626 square miles (1,622 kmē) is land and 15 square miles (40 kmē) (2.38%) is water.
