Winona Lake, Indiana

Winona Lake is a town in Wayne Township, Kosciusko County, in the U.S. state of Indiana, and the major suburb of Warsaw.^[2] Its population was 4,908 at the 2010 census.

Winona Lake, Indiana
Town
Flag Logo
Location of Winona Lake in Kosciusko County, Indiana.
Coordinates: 41°12′57″N 85°48′33″W
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Kosciusko
Township	Wayne
Area [1]
• Total	3.43 sq mi (8.89 km2)
• Land	2.94 sq mi (7.61 km2)
• Water	0.49 sq mi (1.28 km2)
Elevation [2]	866 ft (264 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,053
• Density	1,720.46/sq mi (664.29/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	46590
Area code	574
FIPS code	18-84950[3]
GNIS feature ID	2397751[2]
Website	www.winonalake.net

Geography

Winona Lake is now contiguous to Warsaw, the two towns having merged as they have expanded.

According to the 2010 census, Winona Lake has a total area of 3.25 square miles (8.42 km²), of which 0.49 sq mi (1.27 km²) (or 15.08%) is covered by water.^[4]

History

Winona Lake is best known for the lake after which it is named and built on, although the lake was originally known as Eagle Lake. Located along the eastern shore of the lake, the Winona Lake Historic District includes various historic homes and other buildings that attest to the area's history as a Chautauqua and Bible conference hotspot. It is also the home of Grace College and Grace Theological Seminary, and was the home of famed preacher and professional baseball player Billy Sunday, who died in 1935. The Billy Sunday Home has been preserved as a museum. Christian musician and preacher Homer Rodeheaver also made Winona Lake his home from 1912 until his death in 1955. The Winona School of Professional Photography was started there in 1912 (as the Indiana School of Photography) and was operated by the Professional Photographers of America until its move to Chicago (Mount Prospect) in 1988. Famous photographers from around the world taught there during summer-only classes. The now defunct Winona College was founded here,^[5] and the Winona Lake School of Theology was located here from 1920 to 1970. Winona Lake was also home to the headquarters of The Free Methodist Church until it moved its offices to Indianapolis in 1990.

The Winona Lake Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.^[6]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	300		—
1930	454		51.3%
1940	743		63.7%
1950	1,366		83.8%
1960	1,928		41.1%
1970	2,811		45.8%
1980	2,827		0.6%
1990	4,053		43.4%
2000	3,987		−1.6%
2010	4,908		23.1%
2020	5,053		3.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

2010 census

At the 2010 census, 4,908 people, 1,569 households, and 1,098 families were living in the town. The population density was 1,778.3 inhabitants per square mile (686.6/km²). The 1,786 housing units had an average density of 647.1 per square mile (249.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.2% White, 1.5% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 4.0% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 7.4%.^[8]

Of the 1,569 households, 35.2% had children under 18 living with them, 57.9% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.0% were not families. About 25.0% of households were one person, and 11.1% were one person 65 or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.13.

The median age in the town was 28.3 years. The age distribution was 23.7% under 18, 22.3% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the town was 46.6% male and 53.4% female.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, 3,987 people, 1,371 households, and 972 families resided in the town. The population density was 1,375.7 inhabitants per square mile (531.2/km²). The 1,513 housing units had an average density of 522.0/sq mi (201.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.15% White, 0.75% African American, 0.03% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 5.74% from other races, and 1.45% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 8.28%.^[3]

Of the 1,371 households, 39.4% had children under 18 living with them, 58.8% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were not families. About 23.3% of households were one person, and 5.3% were one person 65 or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.25.

The age distribution was 28.8% under 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% were 65 or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.

The median income for a household was $42,454 and for a family was $50,817. Males had a median income of $35,313 versus $25,769 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,025. About 3.6% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under 18 and 7.0% of those 65 or over.