Newton is a city in and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of
Jasper County,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
The population was 2,849 at the
2010 census,
down from 3,069 at the
2000 census. Newton is home to a large coal-fired power plant operated by
Illinois Power Generating Co and is close to
Newton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Newton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Jasper County, Illinois, United States. The park's grasslands are home to the largest of the three remaining greater prairie chicken flocks in Illinois.
The park cente ...
and
Sam Parr State Fish and Wildlife Area
Sam Parr State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in Jasper County, Illinois, United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Conti ...
.
Newton is also home to the Drive 'n Theatre, formerly known as the Fairview Drive-In, that opened in 1953. It is one of 10 drive-ins left standing in Illinois.
Newton has produced several notable natives. These include pro baseball pitcher
Ross Wolf
Ross Garrett Wolf (born October 18, 1982) is a former professional baseball relief pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers. He bats and throws right-handed. He has also ...
, Illinois state representative
Norman L. Benefiel, folk singer
Burl Ives
Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American musician, actor, and author with a career that spanned more than six decades.
Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own rad ...
, Illinois state senator
Albert Isley
Albert Elias Isley (January 18, 1871 – December 24, 1953) was an American judge, lawyer, and politician.
Isley was born in Jasper County, Illinois on a farm. He graduated from Valparaiso University. He lived in Newton, Illinois with his wi ...
, and
Irene Hunt, who set the historical novel about the Civil War, ''Across Five Aprils,'' in and around Newton.
Geography
Newton is located at (38.988119, -88.164390),
at the geographic center of Jasper County on a bluff overlooking the
Embarras River.
[
]Illinois Route 33
Illinois Route 33 (IL 33) is a multidirectional highway in southeastern Illinois, with its western terminus at Illinois Route 128 on the Fayette– Effingham county line near Beecher City and its southern terminus at U.S. Route 50 east of ...
passes through the center of Newton as Jourdan Street; it leads east to Robinson Robinson may refer to:
People and names
* Robinson (name)
Fictional characters
* Robinson Crusoe, the main character, and title of a novel by Daniel Defoe, published in 1719
Geography
* Robinson projection, a map projection used since the 1960 ...
and northwest to Effingham. Illinois Route 130
Illinois Route 130 is a north–south state highway in eastern Illinois. It runs from Illinois Route 1 in Grayville north to Interstate 74 in Urbana. This is a distance of . Illinois 130 is the main north–south highway through Charlest ...
enters Newton from the south on Van Buren Street and leaves to the east on Jourdan Street with Route 33; Route 130 leads north to Greenup and south to Olney.
According to the 2010 census, Newton has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
As of the census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 3,069 people, 1,329 households, and 810 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,490 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.99% White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.10% African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.20% Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.23% from other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.49% from two or more races. Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 0.59% of the population. Among the White residents, the ancestral origin is primarily German with lesser contributions from England, France and Ireland.[
There were 1,329 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were ]married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,280, and the median income for a family was $42,788. Males had a median income of $31,808 versus $17,877 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $16,363. About 8.4% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 20.7% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.
History
Newton is the largest, oldest and only city (although there are several villages) in Jasper County. Because of its favorable location within the county, it was named county seat in 1835.
Jasper County was formed in 1831 and approved on December 19, 1834. The county was named after Revolutionary War hero Sergeant Jasper. He and his close friend, Sergeant Newton, were patriots that saved American prisoners of war from certain death at the hands of British soldiers. Thus, the county and town became their namesakes.
A post office was established in Newton in March 1883. The post office was not established in a building, but rather in a man's hat. A rider brought the mail from Vincennes, Indiana
Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the lower Wabash River in the Southwestern Indiana, southwestern part of the state, nearly halfway between Evansville, Indi ...
, made a stop in Newton once a week and then continued delivering mail on his route north of Newton.
By 1841 the town had increased to five families. Lawrence Hollenbock and Samuel Garwood built a saw- and gristmill, and Benjamin Harris opened the first grocery store in Newton. In 1855, Newton had Miller's Hotel and a small inn known as the American House that is now Yesterday's Pub and Dining.
By 1865, the population of Newton had grown to 300; a decade later the population had reached 400. In 1874 Joe Litzelman's Hack Express began traveling daily to and from Olney on what is now Route 130.
Today, Newton has a population near 3,000. The community is made up of local businesses, industry, a high school of around 500 students and several organizations and churches.[http://www.cityofnewtonil.com , History of Newton. Our Past Your Future. Retrieved on 2009 April 7.] Downtown Newton is thriving after the completion of new lighting and a streetscape project. There are many organizations that keeping Newton moving forward including The Jasper County Chamber of Commerce, JEDI, 100 Women Who Care, Eagle For Life, and many more.
Education
Newton resides in the Jasper County Community Unit School District 1, which is geographically the largest school district in Illinois.[ The schools in the town include Newton Community High School/Jasper County Junior High, Newton Elementary and Saint Thomas Elementary School.][
]
References
External links
City of Newton official website
Southeastern Illinois Convention & Visitors Bureau
{{authority control
Cities in Illinois
Cities in Jasper County, Illinois
County seats in Illinois
Populated places established in 1835