Winona is the county seat of Winona County⁶. The population was 27,069 at the 2000 census. Located in picturesque bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf hill. Its annual celebration, "Steamboat Days," is held in the summer. It is home to the headquarters of the Watkins Corporation and Fastenal. Historically a community that was once served by a half-dozen passenger railroads, its current service is the once-daily Empire Builder, an Amtrak service between Chicago and Seattle/Portland.