Newton is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in and 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 Harvey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 18,602. Newton is located north of Wichita. The city of North Newton. located immediately north, exists as a separate political entity. Newton is located at the intersection of Interstate 135,

U.S. Route 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...

, and U.S. Route 81 highways.

History

19th century

For millennia, the land now known as Kansas was inhabited by Native Americans. In 1803, most of modern Kansas was secured by the United States as part of the

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase () was the acquisition of the Louisiana (New France), territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. This consisted of most of the land in the Mississippi River#Watershed, Mississipp ...

. In 1854, the

Kansas Territory The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Slave and ...

was organized, then in 1861,

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

became the 34th U.S. state. In 1872, Harvey County was founded. In 1871, the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at vario ...

extended a main line from Emporia westward to Newton by July 1871.Santa Fe Rail History
/ref> The town soon became an important railroad shipping point of Texas cattle. The city was founded in 1871 and named after

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located roughly west of Downtown Boston, and comprises a patchwork of thirteen villages. The city borders Boston to the northeast and southeast (via the neighborhoods of ...

, home of some of the Santa Fe stockholders. In August 1871, the Gunfight at Hide Park occurred, in which eight men were killed. The incident began with an argument between two local lawmen, Billy Bailey and Mike McCluskie. Because of this incident, Newton became known as "bloody and lawless—the wickedest city in the west." In 1872, the western terminal for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and the railhead for the Chisholm Trail were established here. Shortly after incorporation of the city in 1872, the Newton city council passed an ordinance prohibiting the running-at-large of buffalo and other wild animals.

20th century

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Newton airport was taken over by the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

as a secondary

Naval Air Station A Naval Air Station (NAS) is a military air base, and consists of a permanent land-based operations locations for the military aviation division of the relevant branch of a navy (Naval aviation). These bases are typically populated by squadron ...

, and the main runway was extended to over . Newton served as the Middle Division dispatching headquarters for the "Santa Fe" until the mid-1980s, when all dispatching for the

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

system was centralized in the Chicago area. In 1995, the Santa Fe merged with the

Burlington Northern Railroad The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States–based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1995. Its historical lineage begins in the earliest days of railroad ...

, and is now known as the

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...

. The BNSF continues to be a large industrial taxpayer, although its impact as an employer has decreased in the past decade.

21st century

On February 25, 2016, Newton was the site of the first of several related shooting incidents, which culminated in a mass shooting at an Excel Industries building in nearby Hesston that left three people dead and 12 others injured. The shooter, identified as Excel employee Cedric Larry Ford, was then killed by a responding police officer.

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. The city is in the central portion of the continental United States. U.S. Highway 81, also known as the Meridian Highway, stretches from

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, to

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, through Central and South America. It passes through Newton, Kansas, where it is known as Main Street. U.S. Highway 50 runs past the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

in Washington, DC, through Newton, Kansas, and continues on to

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. 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 ...

, Newton has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, ''Cfa'' on climate maps.

Demographics

Newton is included in the Wichita metropolitan statistical area. It is located in Harvey County, which is an agricultural and small manufacturing county with 34,361 people. Harvey County is part of a five-county metropolitan area with 650,000 people, the largest anchored in the state of Kansas. The major city in this metro area is Wichita, 20 miles to the south via I-135.

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 18,602 people, 7,501 households, and 4,798 families in Newton. The population density was 1,276.4 per square mile (492.8/km). The 8,256 housing units had an average density of 566.5 per square mile (218.7/km). The racial makeup was 78.79% White (73.12%

non-Hispanic White Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...

), 2.53% Black or

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

, 1.01% Native American or

Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...

, 0.88% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander or

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

, 6.72% from other races, and 10.04% two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race was 17.77% of the population. Of the 7,501 households, 29.4% had children under 18, 47.2% were married couples living together, and 27.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.1% of households consisted of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 3.0. The percentage of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 21.5% of the population. The city's age distribution was 24.1% under 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 or older. The median age was 39.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.9 males. For every 100 females 18 and older, there were 106.8 males. The 2016-2020 five-year

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates show that the median household income was $56,729 (with a margin of error of +/- $2,501) and the median family income was $66,806 (+/- $5,072). Males had a median income of $41,413 (+/- $3,677) versus $29,782 (+/- $3,872) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $35,192 (+/- $2,644). Approximately, 6.7% of families and 10.8% 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 ...

, including 12.7% of those under 18 and 9.4% of those 65 or over.

2010 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 2010, 19,132 people, 7,584 households, and 5,045 families were living 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 . The 8,237 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.4% White, 2.2% African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 4.7% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 16.3% of the population. Of the 7,584 households, 33.1% had children under 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.5% were not families. About 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age in the city was 36.8 years, and the age distribution was 26.4% under 18; 7.9% from 18 to 24; 24.9% from 25 to 44; 25% from 45 to 64; and 15.9% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, 17,190 people, 6,851 households, and 4,610 families were living in the city. The population density was . The 7,277 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.73% White, 2.30% African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 6.84% from other races, and 2.92% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 12.73% of the population. Of the 6,851 households, 31.9% had children under 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were not families. About 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.99. In the city, the age distribution was 26.3% under 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 90.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $38,236, and for a family was $45,703. Males had a median income of $32,308 versus $21,906 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $18,529. About 5.1% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the

, including 9.7% of those under 18 and 5.6% of those 65 or over.

Area attractions

*Harvey County Historical Society Library and Museum *Kauffman Museum * Warkentin House, a Victorian house museum. * Mennonite Settler statue *Blue Sky Sculpture, one of the Eight Wonders of Kansas Art *Sand Creek Trail *Carriage Factory Art Gallery * Sand Creek Station Golf Course, an 18-hole public course, was ranked among 2006's best new public courses in America by ''

Golf Digest ''Golf Digest'' is a monthly golf magazine published by Warner Bros. Discovery through its TNT Sports unit. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. The magazine started by John F. ...

''.

Education

Primary and secondary education

The community is served by Newton USD 373 public school district. Newton public schools consist of: ; High school * Newton High School ; Intermediate schools * Santa Fe 5/6 Center * Chisholm Middle School ; Elementary * Northridge Elementary * Slate Creek Elementary * South Breeze Elementary * Sunset Elementary. ; Early education * Cooper Early Education ;Private Newton has two kindergarten - grade-8 private schools: * St. Mary's Catholic School * Newton Bible Christian School

College

* Bethel College is located nearby in the city of North Newton. * Hutchinson Community College has a satellite campus at the Axtell Education Center, close to downtown.

Media

Print media

''The Newton Kansan'' (

GateHouse Media GateHouse Media Inc. was an American publisher of locally based print and digital media. It published 144 daily newspapers, 684 community publications, and over 569 local-market websites in 38 states. Its parent company, New Media Investment Group ...

) serves Newton and the surrounding area as the daily local newspaper. It is not published on Sundays or Mondays. '' The Wichita Eagle'' is the major newspaper for the region. ''Harvey County Now ''newspaper is also based in Newton and covers Harvey County.

Radio

* AM ** KJRG-AM 950 kHz, Christian talk * FM ** KKGQ-FM 92.3 MHz, ESPN Wichita 92.3, sports programming ** KBCU-FM 88.1 MHz - Bethel College (Kansas) - College events and jazz music

Television

Newton is served by over-the-air ATSC

digital TV Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television technology which used analog signals. At the time of its development it was considered an innovative adv ...

of the Wichita- Hutchinson viewing market area,

cable TV Cable television is a system of delivering television broadcast programming, programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This ...

Cox Communications Cox Communications, Inc. (also known as Cox Cable and formerly Cox Broadcasting Corporation, Dimension Cable Services and Times-Mirror Cable), is an American digital cable television provider, telecommunications and home automation services comp ...

, and

satellite TV Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the Earth directly to the viewer's location.ITU Radio Regulations, Section IV. Radio Stations and Systems ...

. ''See '' Media in Wichita, Kansas.

Infrastructure

Transportation

passes through Newton for transportation and shipping.

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

Southwest Chief The ''Southwest Chief'' (formerly the ''Southwest Limited'' and ''Super Chief'') is a Amtrak Long Distance, long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak on a route between Chicago and Los Angeles through the Midwest and American Southwest ...

stops in Newton twice each day and provides passenger rail service towards

and

. The Amtrak station is located at 414 N Main St. Bus service is provided daily towards Wichita and Salina by BeeLine Express (subcontractor of

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. is an American operator of Intercity bus service, intercity bus services. Greyhound operates the largest intercity bus network in the United States, and also operates charter and Amtrak Thruway services, as well as interci ...

). While there is no local fixed-route transit service, Harvey Interurban provides dial-a-ride transit service to the community. Major roads that pass through Newton are I-135, US-50, US-81, and K-15. Newton City/County Airport, FAA:EWK, is located 2 miles east of Newton. Its runway is one of only 11 runways in Kansas or longer. It has ILS and GPS approaches.

Utilities

* Internet ** Cable is provided by

. ** DSL is provided by

AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...

. ** Wireless is provided b
Pixius Communications
** Satellite is provided by HughesNet, StarBand, and WildBlue. * TV ** Cable is provided by

. ** Satellite is provided by

DirecTV DirecTV, LLC is an American Multichannel television in the United States, multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital Satellite television, s ...

Dish Network DISH Network L.L.C., often referred to as DISH, an abbreviation for Digital Sky Highway, is an American provider of satellite television and IPTV services and wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation. The company was originally establ ...

. ** Terrestrial is provided by regional

stations primarily based in the Wichita/Hutchinson designated market area. * Telephone ** Landline is provided by AT&T. ** Cellular is provided by Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and AT&T Mobility. * Electricity is provided by Westar Energy. * Gas is provided by Kansas Gas Service. * Water ** City is provided b
City of Newton
** Rural is provided b
Harvey County RWD #1
* Sewer is billed b
City of Newton
* Trash is billed b
City of Newton

Notable people

:''See also List of people from Harvey County, Kansas'' * Tom Adair (1913–1988), screenwriter, musician, and composer * Donna Atwood (1925–2010), figure skater and Ice Capades star * Errett Bishop (1928–1983), mathematician, college professor * Tony Clark (born 1972),

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 ...

first baseman and union executive * Rita Clements (1931-2018), was an American Republican Party organizer, an activist in historic preservation, and a First Lady of the State of Texas. *

Reed Crandall Reed Leonard Crandall (February 22, 1917 – September 13, 1982) Reed Crandall
at ...

(1917-1982),

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...

and

penciller A penciller (or penciler) is an artist who works on the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms, with a focus on the initial pencil illustrations. In the American comic book industry, the penciller is the first step ...

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

s and

magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

s, was inducted into Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2009. * James Earp (1841-1926), brother of

Wyatt Earp Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman in the American West, including Dodge City, Kansas, Dodge City, Wichita, Kansas, Wichita, and Tombstone, Arizona, Tombstone. Earp was involved in the gunfight ...

and Virgil Earp * Harold Foster (1906–1996), head coach of

Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball The Wisconsin Badgers are an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Ten Conference. The Wisconsin Badgers, Badgers' home games are played at the Kohl Center, located on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus in Madison ...

team, member of

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

* Orville Harrold, opera singer * Wyatt Hendrickson, 285# Champion at the 2025 NCAA Division I Men's Wrestling Championships, is a second lieutenant in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

* Elizabeth Hoisington (1918–2007),

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

officer, one of two women to first attain the rank of brigadier general * John Houston (1890–1975), politician and mayor of Newton * John Janzen (born 1937), professor of anthropology and author * Miles Johns (1994-), a mixed martial artist, is currently competing the UFC's bantam-weight division. * Ruth Mitten (1876-1942), educator, superintendent of schools * Samuel Peters (1842–1910), captain in Union Army (1861-1865), Kansas State Senate (1874-1875), judge of 9th District (1875-1883), U.S. House of Representatives (1883-1891), editor of ''Newton Daily Kansas-Republican'' (1899), postmaster in Newton (1898-1910), and lawyer in Newton and Marion. * Dustin Richardson (born 1984), MLB pitcher * Jacob Schowalter (1879–1953), philanthropist, founder of Schowalter Foundation, Kansas state representative * Jesse Unruh (1922–1987),

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

politician * Mike Wellman (born 1956), NFL center * Dallas Wiebe (1930-2009), writer * John Yoder (1951–2017), Kansas and West Virginia state court judge, West Virginia state senator

References

External links

*
Newton - Directory of Public Officials
League of Kansas Municipalities
Newton Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau

Harvey County Historical Museum

Historic Images of Newton
Special Photo Collections at

Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

Library
Topo Map of Newton / North Newton / Walton area
USGS {{Authority control * Cities in Kansas County seats in Kansas Cities in Harvey County, Kansas Wichita, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area Populated places established in 1871 1871 establishments in Kansas