Newton, Iowa
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Newton is the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of, and most populous city in,
Jasper County, Iowa Jasper County is a county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,813. The county seat is Newton. The county was organized in 1846 and is named after Sergeant William Jasper, a Revolutionary War hero. Jasper ...
, United States. Located east of
Des Moines Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...
, Newton is in Central Iowa. As of the 2020 Census, the city population was 15,760. It is the home of Iowa Speedway and Maytag Dairy Farms.


History


Early history

Newton was founded in 1846 as Newton City, then shortened to Newton in 1847 and incorporated as a city in 1857. It was named to pair with Jasper County, following a common American naming scheme at the time in honor of Revolutionary War soldiers
John Newton John Newton (; – 21 December 1807) was an English evangelical Anglican cleric and slavery Abolitionism, abolitionist. He had previously been a captain of slave ships and an investor in the slave trade. He served as a sailor in the Royal Nav ...
and William Jasper. In the late 19th century, Newton's growth was fueled by the development of coal mines in the region. The first significant mine in the area was the Couch mine of the Jasper County Coal and Railway Company, opened in the 1870s. For a while, it was the largest mine in the county, producing 70 tons per day. William Snooks opened a mine near Newton in 1886. In the early 20th century, large scale mining in the Newton area had declined, but there were still several mines in the area that were worked intermittently.


Maytag and the era of growth

In the 20th century, Newton was a manufacturing community, much of its growth derived from the
washing machine A washing machine (laundry machine, clothes washer, washer, or simply wash) is a machine designed to laundry, launder clothing. The term is mostly applied to machines that use water. Other ways of doing laundry include dry cleaning (which uses ...
industry. Its most distinctive landmark, the Jasper County Courthouse, was built in 1911. Newton entered the national stage in 1938 when martial law was declared during a strike at the Maytag Washing Machine Company. Iowa governor Nelson Kraschel ordered the
Iowa National Guard The Iowa National Guard consists of the: * Iowa Army National Guard and the * Iowa Air National Guard The Iowa National Guard headquarters is at Camp Dodge in Johnston, several miles north of the state capital Des Moines. The facility serves ...
to protect the company with tanks and machine guns ready against the workers. With the backing of four troops (companies) of the 113th Cavalry Regiment, Maytag company beat the strike and forced workers to return to work with a 10% pay cut. At the conclusion of World War II, the Maytag Washing Machine Company expanded its operations in Newton, becoming the Maytag Corporation. Known for its dependable line of washing machines and clothes dryers, the company later persuaded the town of Newton to change the name of its headquarters address in the city to "One Dependability Square." In 2001, a decision to cut labor costs resulted in a reduction of the labor force at the Newton plant in favor of newer Maytag facilities in Mexico. Layoffs at the Newton plant continued through 2005. Whirlpool's acquisition of Maytag in early 2006 led to speculation over the future of Maytag operations in Newton. On May 10, 2006, Whirlpool announced that it would close the Newton plant and corporate offices in the fall of 2007. The plant employed about 1,000 workers and the corporate offices employed about 800 at the time of the announcement. In January 2007, Whirlpool said in a statement that it sold most of the Maytag headquarters complex to Iowa Telecommunications Services Inc., a Newton-based telephone company which would use the complex to consolidate employees in a single location. Although the company did not disclose financial details, Newton economic development officials said Iowa Telecom paid $1.5 million for the buildings assessed at more than $12 million. The Maytag plant officially ended production on October 25, 2007.


"Newton's future" and the rebound after Maytag

After
Maytag The Maytag Corporation is an American Home appliance, home and commercial appliance company. The company has been owned by Whirlpool Corporation since April 2006. History The Maytag Washing Machine Company was founded in 1893 by businessm ...
announced its departure, community leaders and City administration worked together to develop a plan to diversify Newton's economy. After the Maytag plant closed, unemployment skyrocketed—rising to almost 10%. In 2010, Jasper County had the highest unemployment rate of Iowa's 99 counties at 8.2%. However, in the following years, the unemployment rate dropped considerably—down to 5.4% in 2013. More impressively, Newton's population did not drop following the departure of Maytag. Newton has had a steady population of about 15,000 since the 1960s. Between 2007 and 2017, the following companies started in or moved to Newton: Underwriter's Laboratory, Trinity Structural Towers, TPI Composites, Aureon, Walter G. Anderson, the Iowa Speedway, Health Enterprises, Engineered Plastics Company, Pact Manufacturing, Advanced Wheel Sales, and Hawkeye Stages. Legacy Plaza, the former Maytag corporate campus, contains eight buildings dating back to the early 1900s. The site was donated to Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) by Reza Kargarzadeh in 2016. Some of the space is leased; current tenants include Compass Mortgage, DMACC Business Resources, Thombert, Aureon, Gezellig Brewing Company, Murph & Mary's Pub, CIRAS, Iowa Lean Consortium, Aerocare, MCG and Edward Jones.


Green manufacturing and sustainability

One of the industrial sectors Newton has attracted in recent years is green manufacturing. In December 2007, TPI Composites announced plans to open a plant to manufacture massive wind turbine blades, which are now in production. Today, TPI Composites employs over 1,100 people and has expanded its operations by 100,000 square feet as they began manufacturing composite bus bodies with Proterra. Additionally, Trinity Structural Towers, a company which manufactures wind turbine towers, opened in 2008. President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
visited the Trinity Structural Towers plant on April 22, 2009, that year's
Earth Day Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally through earthday.org (formerly Earth Day Network) includin ...
. While at the factory in Newton, the President said that he traveled to the factory to usher in "a new era of energy exploration in America." Newton was awarded the National Sustainable Community of the Year Award (Small City Category) by
Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational technology conglomerate. It is focused on industrial automation, building automation, rail transport and health technology. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and holds the positi ...
and the US Chamber of Commerce in 2010 for its successful, pro-active approach to recovery.


Newton's future: a comprehensive plan

In 2012, the Newton City Council passed "Newton's Future: A Comprehensive Plan." The Comprehensive Plan was written with the input of Newton citizens and reflects the community's goals for the future; the top goals identified in the plan were to grow Newton's population with an emphasis toward targeting young families, increase employment opportunities, improve the City's curb appeal, and fill vacant buildings and increase local shopping options.


Arts and culture

Newton is passionate in its support of the arts and culture.


Visual arts and sculpture

Newton has an active arts community, with several non-profit organizations dedicated to the arts and many artists residing in the city. The Iowa Sculpture Festival was an annual event hosted in Newton which began in 2002. The purpose and goal of the Iowa Sculpture Festival is to celebrate the development and growth of sculpture as an art form and to feature artists who create sculptures. The weekend-long event featured both local and internationally accomplished artists. The annual event ended in 2017. Newton features more than 100 displays of public art with sculptures and painted murals throughout the community. The Iowa Sculpture Festival Committee sponsors a self-guided year-round sculpture and mural tour. The Centre for Arts and Artists opened in Newton in 2005. The Centre for Arts and Artists is composed of 10 resident artist studios, a clay and kiln room, a therapeutic art room for children, a classroom, an extensive art and sculpture collection as well as a gift shop. Classes for all ages are taught at the Centre throughout the year.


Performing arts

In addition to having an active visual arts community, Newton also has an active music and theater community. Each summer, Newton hosts the Bowlful of Blues, a blues festival at the Maytag Bowl featuring renowned blues artists from across the county such as
John Primer John Primer (born March 5, 1945, Camden, Mississippi, United States) is an American Chicago blues and electric blues singer and guitarist who played behind Junior Wells in the house band at Theresa's Lounge and as a member of the bands of W ...
, Walter Trout,
Shaun Murphy Shaun Peter Murphy (born 10 August 1982) is an English professional snooker player who won the 2005 World Snooker Championship, 2005 World Championship and has completed the Triple Crown (snooker), Triple Crown. Nicknamed "The Magician", Murp ...
, Willie Kent, and others. Additionally, the City of Newton puts on free weekly concerts at the Maytag Bowl throughout the summer in an event called "Concerts at the Bowl." This event features local bands of all genres. The Newton City Band, a full concert band composed of Newton citizens, also performs at this event. The Newton Community Theater performs several shows each year ranging from large-cast musicals, such as ''
Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...
'', to small cast ensemble plays, such as ''The Dixie Swim Club''.


Historic preservation

In February 2014, Newton was selected to take part in the Main Street Iowa program, which is a coordinating program for the Main Street America program and part of the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Newton Main Street is a 501(c)3 organization with a goal of economic development within the context of historic preservation. In September 2014, Newton's downtown was designated to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. The district has 87 properties within it. The Fred Maytag Park Historic District, which includes Maytag Bowl, Maytag Park and Maytag Pool, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in November 2010. Newton has several other places listed on the National Register of Historic Places including the Thomas Arthur House, August H. Bergman House, Emerson Hough Elementary School, the Jasper County Courthouse, and St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. The Jasper County Historical Museum is located on the southwest est side of Newton and features historical artifacts from throughout Newton's history, including many early-model washing machines manufactured by Maytag. The museum is managed by the Jasper County Historical Society.


Other arts and culture

Newton began hosting Newton Fest in 2015. The annual celebration is meant to celebrate the arts, food, music, history and more. Newton also hosts the Miss Iowa USA and Miss Teen Iowa USA Pageants annually. The winners of these competitions go on to represent Iowa at the Miss USA Pageants. Newton is home to one of America's first business aircraft. The aircraft was a Travel Air 6000 owned by Harry Ogg, owner of the Automatic Washing Machine Company and was named "Smiling Thru".


Entertainment, recreation and sports

In 1919, E.H. Maytag, the son of Maytag Appliance company founder F.L. Maytag, purchased a single Holstein cow to provide fresh clean milk to his children. Upon E.H.’s death in 1940, his sons Fred and Robert Maytag assumed leadership of the farms and Fred pursued his idea of creating a uniquely American blue cheese made from cow's milk. Maytag Dairy Farms collaborated with Iowa State University to pioneer the first great American blue cheese that could compete with classic European cheeses such as Roquefort made from sheep's milk. The cheese plant and caves were completed a year later and the first wheels of Maytag Blue Cheese were formed in October 1941. 77 years after Fred made the first wheels of Maytag Blue Cheese, the leadership of the company is transitioning to his grandchildren—the great-grandchildren of E.H. Maytag. Newton has two historic movie theaters that are still in operation. The Valle Drive in is one of four drive-in theaters still in operation in Iowa. The Valle Drive in is the oldest of all of these theaters, having opened in 1948. The Capitol II Theater is located in the historic downtown district of Newton and has been in operation since April 1927; originally operating as a
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
theater. Newton is home to Iowa Speedway, a 7/8-mile racing track purchased by NASCAR in 2014. It is the only short track owned by
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
west of the Mississippi River. The track hosts a series of races throughout the summer, including
IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, officially known as the NTT IndyCar Series for sponsorship reasons, is the highest class of American open-wheel car racing in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies sinc ...
,
Indy Lights Indy NXT (pronounced "Indy Next"), previously Indy Lights, is an American developmental automobile racing series sanctioned by IndyCar, currently known as INDY NXT by Firestone for sponsorship reasons. Indy NXT is the highest step on the Roa ...
and
ARCA Menards Series The ARCA Menards Series is an American stock car racing, stock car series, the premier division of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). It is considered a minor, semi-professional league of stock car racing, used as a feeder series into ...
races. The Newton High School completes in class 4A athletics through the
Iowa High School Athletic Association The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) is the regulating body for male Iowa high school interscholastic athletics and is a full member of the National Federation of State High School Associations. Its female counterpart, the Iowa Gir ...
. The mascot of the high school is a Cardinal. The IHSAA athletics that Newton participates in includes: baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and wrestling. Newton is home to several parks and recreation areas. The City maintains 13 City parks and recreational areas, including the flagship park of the community, Maytag Park. Maytag Park is on the National Registrar of Historic Places. Amenities at Maytag Park include the Maytag Bowl—a historic bandshell, a public swimming pool, and a disc golf course. In addition to the City parks, Project AWAKE, a local non-profit organization, maintains the Newton Arboretum and Botanical Gardens as well as Sersland Park, a downtown park. The Newton Arboretum and Botanical Gardens occupies six acres of land and features over 150 species of trees, a rose garden, a butterfly garden, a water garden, and a native prairie.


Death of Rocky Marciano

On August 31, 1969, world boxing champion
Rocky Marciano Rocco Francis Marchegiano (September 1, 1923 – August 31, 1969; ), better known as Rocky Marciano (, ), was an American professional boxer who competed from 1947 to 1955. He held the world heavyweight championship from 1952 to 1956, and re ...
and two other occupants died when their airplane crashed in Newton. This was the third of a series of airplane accidents or incidents in Iowa involving celebrities, after a 1959 accident in Clear Lake and a 1960 incident in Carroll that involved a plane carrying the
Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
basketball team.


Education

The Newton Community School District offers public K – 12 schools. Newton Christian School offers private Preschool to 8th grade. DMACC Newton Campus Community College


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , all land.


Streets and addresses

Newton is divided into four quadrants: 1st Avenue divides the north and south segments of Newton, and 1st Street divides the east and west segments. Roads labeled as avenues run east and west, while roads labeled as streets run north and south. Newton's street numbering system also extends into rural Jasper County. A typical
street name A street name is an identifying name given to a street or road. In toponymic terminology, names of streets and roads are referred to as odonyms or hodonyms (from Ancient Greek 'road', and 'name', i.e., the Doric Greek, Doric and Aeolic Gre ...
would appear "E 5th St S". The east or west label comes first, followed by the street, then followed by the north or south label. This example indicates the street is in the southeast quadrant of Newton. A typical avenue name would appear "N 5th Ave W". In the case of avenues, the north or south label comes first, followed by the avenue, and then followed by the east or west label. This example indicates the avenue is in the northwest quadrant of Newton. All addresses within Newton fall within the 50208 ZIP Code.


Climate

According to the
Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Newton has a
hot-summer humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.


Demographics


2020 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2020, there were 15,760 people, 6,750 households, and 3,991 families residing in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was 1,396.4 inhabitants per square mile (539.2/km2). There were 7,312 housing units at an average density of 647.9 per square mile (250.1/km2). The
racial Race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 16th century, when it was used to refer to groups of va ...
makeup of the city was 89.6%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 2.8% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 1.3% from other races and 4.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 3.8% of the population. Of the 6,750 households, 26.0% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 8.2% were cohabitating couples, 29.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 20.0% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 40.9% of all households were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 41.6 years. 24.4% of the residents were under the age of 20; 5.4% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 23.7% were from 25 and 44; 24.7% were from 45 and 64; and 21.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.


2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 15,254 people, 6,668 households, and 4,047 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 7,339 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.7%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.7%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.3% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population. There were 6,668 households, of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.3% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age in the city was 41.6 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 to 44; 26.4% were from 45 to 64; and 19.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.


2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 15,579 people, 6,713 households, and 4,269 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 7,162 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.55%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.60% Asian, 0.39%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.22% Native American, 0.10%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.33% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 1.21% of the population. There were 6,713 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% 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 2.84. Age spread: 23.6% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $40,345, and the median income for a family was $49,977. Males had a median income of $37,248 versus $22,631 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,552. About 4.8% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.


Government

Newton is administered by a mayor and a six-person city council. The mayor is elected to a term of two years. Newton's current mayor is Michael Hansen. His predecessor was Charles 'Chaz' Allen. The city council consists of one member elected from each of Newton's four wards and two members elected at-large. The council members are elected to terms of four years. Regular meetings of the city council are held on the first and third Mondays of each month at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall.


Civil rights violations

The government in Newton has come under scrutiny for alleged civil rights violations against citizens exercising their
First Amendment First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...
rights, including arresting and indicting a man for disorderly conduct after criticizing the police department during a city council public comment session. The Newton Police Department is also facing federal lawsuits for allegedly conducting false arrests and violating Fourth Amendment rights after videos surfaced of a college student being arrested and extensively interrogated in a police station on alleged charges of
driving under the influence Driving under the influence (DUI) is the crime of driving, operating, or being in control of a vehicle while one is impaired from doing so safely by the effect of either alcohol (drug), alcohol (see drunk driving) or some other drug, whether re ...
despite passing both field sobriety and
breathalyzer A breathalyzer or breathalyser (a portmanteau of ''breath'' and ''analyzer/analyser''), also called an alcohol meter, is a device for measuring breath alcohol (drug), alcohol content (BrAC). It is commonly utilized by law enforcement officers ...
tests on the motorway.


State and federal facilities

The
United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
operates the Newton Post Office. The Iowa Department of Corrections Newton Correctional Facility is in unincorporated Jasper County, near Newton.Newton Correctional Facility
." Iowa Department of Corrections. Retrieved November 24, 2010. "Newton Correctional Facility 307 S. 60th Avenue W. P. O. Box 218 Newton, IA 50208"


Notable people

* Matt Chatham, 3x Super Bowl champion, New England Patriots * Jay Clark, Olympic
sport shooter Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms (firearms and airguns, in forms such ...
* John C. Cook, politician, lawyer, judge * Nick Easley, awarded the 2019 Outback Bowl MVP while playing for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes *
Edgar S. Furniss Jr. Edgar "Ed" Stephenson Furniss Jr. (August 14, 1918 — August 17, 1966) was an American political scientist and educator. Furniss was the Mershon Professor of Political Science at Ohio State University. Career Son of the noted economist Edgar S ...
, political scientist and educator * Lyle Goodhue, scientist and inventor, born in Jasper County and graduated from Newton High School * Sara Haines, Correspondent for
ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...
and ''
Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...
'', co-host of '' The View'', and host of '' The Chase'' * Emerson Hough, author * F.L. "Fritz" Maytag III, businessman and entrepreneur * Charles Murray, American policy writer and researcher, co-author of ''
The Bell Curve ''The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life'' is a 1994 book by the psychologist Richard J. Herrnstein and the political scientist Charles Murray in which the authors argue that human intelligence is substantially influe ...
'' * Sharon Needles,
drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...
, winner of fourth season of reality television series ''
RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race (franchise), ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder (company), World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, ...
'' * Maurice H. Rees, Medical educator and Dean of University of Colorado School of Medicine from 1925 to 1945 * Mike Spegal, professional
poker Poker is a family of Card game#Comparing games, comparing card games in which Card player, players betting (poker), wager over which poker hand, hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, with varying rules i ...
player * Bessie Anderson Stanley, writer of the verse "Success", born in Newton * Nate Teut, former
MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
player


Points of interest

* Iowa Speedway * Jasper County Historical Museum * Newton Arboretum and Botanical Gardens * Maytag Dairy Farms * Historic Maytag Park * Valle Drive In * Westwood Golf Course


Sister cities

Newton is currently twinned with: * Smila,
Cherkasy Oblast Cherkasy Oblast (, ), also referred to as Cherkashchyna (, ) is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in central Ukraine located along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. The Capital city, administrative center of the oblast is the cit ...
, Ukraine


References


External links


''Official'' City of Newton website

www.visitnewton.com
Newton Convention and Visitors Bureau
www.newton.k12.ia.us


Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Newton {{authority control Populated places established in 1850 Cities in Iowa Cities in Jasper County, Iowa Micropolitan areas of Iowa County seats in Iowa Company towns in Iowa 1850 establishments in Iowa