Newton, Kansas | |
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City andCounty seat | |
 Newton City Hall at 201 E 6th St (2006) | |
 Flag | |
 Location withinHarvey County andKansas | |
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| Coordinates:38°02′14″N97°20′42″W / 38.03722°N 97.34500°W /38.03722; -97.34500[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Harvey |
| Township | Newton |
| Founded | 1871 |
| Incorporated | 1872, 1880 |
| Named after | Newton, Massachusetts |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Leroy Koehn[citation needed] |
| • City Manager | Kelly McElroy[citation needed] |
| Area | |
• Total | 14.57 sq mi (37.73 km2) |
| • Land | 14.57 sq mi (37.73 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,434 ft (437 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 18,602 |
| • Density | 1,277/sq mi (493.0/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 67114 |
| Area code | 316 |
| FIPS code | 20-50475[1] |
| GNIS ID | 485629[1] |
| Website | newtonkansas.com |
Newton is acity in and thecounty seat ofHarvey County, Kansas, United States.[1] As of the2020 census, the population of the city was 18,602.[3][4] Newton is located 25 miles (40 km) north ofWichita. The city ofNorth Newton. located immediately north, exists as a separate political entity. Newton is located at the intersection ofInterstate 135,U.S. Route 50, andU.S. Route 81 highways.
For millennia, the land now known as Kansas was inhabited byNative Americans. In 1803, most ofmodern Kansas was secured by the United States as part of theLouisiana Purchase. In 1854, theKansas Territory was organized, then in 1861,Kansas became the 34thU.S. state. In 1872, Harvey County was founded.
In 1871, theAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway extended a main line fromEmporia westward to Newton by July 1871.[5] The town soon became an important railroad shipping point of Texas cattle.[6]
The city was founded in 1871 and named afterNewton, Massachusetts, home of some of the Santa Fe stockholders.[7]
In August 1871, theGunfight at Hide Park occurred, in which eight men were killed. The incident began with an argument between two local lawmen,Billy Bailey andMike McCluskie. Because of this incident, Newton became known as "bloody and lawless—the wickedest city in the west."[8]
In 1872, the western terminal for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and the railhead for theChisholm 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.[9]
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DuringWorld War II, theNewton airport was taken over by theUS Navy as a secondaryNaval Air Station, and the main runway was extended to over 7,000 feet (2,100 m).
Newton served as the Middle Division dispatching headquarters for the "Santa Fe" until the mid-1980s, when all dispatching for theChicago toLos Angeles system was centralized in the Chicago area. In 1995, the Santa Fe merged with theBurlington Northern Railroad, and is now known as theBNSF Railway. The BNSF continues to be a large industrial taxpayer, although its impact as an employer has decreased in the past decade.
On February 25, 2016, Newton was the site of the first of several related shooting incidents, which culminated ina mass shooting at an Excel Industries building in nearbyHesston that left three people dead and 12 others injured.[10][11] The shooter, identified as Excel employee Cedric Larry Ford, was then killed by a responding police officer.[12][13]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.60 square miles (32.63 km2), all land.[14]
The city is in the central portion of the continental United States.U.S. Highway 81, also known as theMeridian Highway, stretches fromWinnipeg,Manitoba,Canada, toMexico City,Mexico, through Central and South America. It passes through Newton, Kansas, where it is known as Main Street.U.S. Highway 50 runs past theWhite House in Washington, DC, through Newton, Kansas, and continues on toSacramento, California.
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to theKöppen climate classification, Newton has ahumid subtropical climate,Cfa on climate maps.[15]
| Climate data for Newton, Kansas, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1897–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 75 (24) | 85 (29) | 93 (34) | 97 (36) | 103 (39) | 112 (44) | 117 (47) | 115 (46) | 108 (42) | 98 (37) | 88 (31) | 81 (27) | 117 (47) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 64.5 (18.1) | 70.0 (21.1) | 78.9 (26.1) | 85.2 (29.6) | 92.3 (33.5) | 97.9 (36.6) | 103.2 (39.6) | 101.8 (38.8) | 96.9 (36.1) | 88.7 (31.5) | 74.9 (23.8) | 64.3 (17.9) | 104.4 (40.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 41.7 (5.4) | 46.6 (8.1) | 57.3 (14.1) | 66.9 (19.4) | 76.3 (24.6) | 87.0 (30.6) | 92.0 (33.3) | 90.3 (32.4) | 82.5 (28.1) | 69.7 (20.9) | 55.7 (13.2) | 43.9 (6.6) | 67.5 (19.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 31.0 (−0.6) | 35.2 (1.8) | 45.2 (7.3) | 54.9 (12.7) | 65.5 (18.6) | 76.0 (24.4) | 80.9 (27.2) | 79.0 (26.1) | 70.7 (21.5) | 57.7 (14.3) | 44.4 (6.9) | 33.9 (1.1) | 56.2 (13.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 20.3 (−6.5) | 23.8 (−4.6) | 33.1 (0.6) | 42.9 (6.1) | 54.7 (12.6) | 65.0 (18.3) | 69.8 (21.0) | 67.6 (19.8) | 59.0 (15.0) | 45.7 (7.6) | 33.2 (0.7) | 23.9 (−4.5) | 44.9 (7.2) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 2.8 (−16.2) | 6.3 (−14.3) | 15.1 (−9.4) | 26.7 (−2.9) | 39.4 (4.1) | 52.3 (11.3) | 59.3 (15.2) | 56.8 (13.8) | 43.0 (6.1) | 28.6 (−1.9) | 16.2 (−8.8) | 7.0 (−13.9) | −1.5 (−18.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −20 (−29) | −28 (−33) | −7 (−22) | 10 (−12) | 23 (−5) | 40 (4) | 43 (6) | 43 (6) | 29 (−2) | 10 (−12) | −4 (−20) | −20 (−29) | −28 (−33) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 0.80 (20) | 1.25 (32) | 2.38 (60) | 2.92 (74) | 4.89 (124) | 5.01 (127) | 4.20 (107) | 3.89 (99) | 2.98 (76) | 2.64 (67) | 1.65 (42) | 1.16 (29) | 33.77 (857) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 2.1 (5.3) | 1.3 (3.3) | 1.2 (3.0) | 0.3 (0.76) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.6 (1.5) | 3.2 (8.1) | 8.8 (22.21) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 4.2 | 4.8 | 7.1 | 7.7 | 9.7 | 8.5 | 8.3 | 7.8 | 6.4 | 6.6 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 81.0 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 1.6 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 5.8 |
| Source 1: NOAA[16] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service[17] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 2,601 | — | |
| 1890 | 5,605 | 115.5% | |
| 1900 | 6,208 | 10.8% | |
| 1910 | 7,862 | 26.6% | |
| 1920 | 9,781 | 24.4% | |
| 1930 | 11,034 | 12.8% | |
| 1940 | 11,048 | 0.1% | |
| 1950 | 11,590 | 4.9% | |
| 1960 | 14,877 | 28.4% | |
| 1970 | 15,439 | 3.8% | |
| 1980 | 16,332 | 5.8% | |
| 1990 | 16,700 | 2.3% | |
| 2000 | 17,190 | 2.9% | |
| 2010 | 19,132 | 11.3% | |
| 2020 | 18,602 | −2.8% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 18,251 | [18] | −1.9% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[19] 2010-2020[4] | |||
Newton is included in the Wichitametropolitan 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.
The2020 United States census counted 18,602 people, 7,501 households, and 4,798 families in Newton.[20][21] The population density was 1,276.4 per square mile (492.8/km2). The 8,256 housing units had an average density of 566.5 per square mile (218.7/km2).[21][22] Theracial makeup was 78.79% White (73.12%non-Hispanic White), 2.53% Black orAfrican-American, 1.01% Native American orAlaska Native, 0.88% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander orNative Hawaiian, 6.72% from other races, and 10.04%two or more races.[23] Hispanics or Latinos of any race was 17.77% of the population.[24]
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.[21] The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 3.0.[25] The percentage of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 21.5% of the population.[26]
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.[21] For every 100 females 18 and older, there were 106.8 males.[21]
The 2016-2020 five-yearAmerican Community Survey 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).[27] 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).[28] Approximately, 6.7% of families and 10.8% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 12.7% of those under 18 and 9.4% of those 65 or over.[29][30]
As of thecensus[31] of 2010, 19,132 people, 7,584 households, and 5,045 families were living in the city.[32] Thepopulation density was 1,518.4 inhabitants per square mile (586.3/km2). The 8,237 housing units had an average density of 653.7 per square mile (252.4/km2). 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.
The community is served byNewton USD 373 public school district. Newtonpublic schools consist of:
Newton has two kindergarten - grade-8 private schools:
TheNewton Kansan (GateHouse Media) 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 Nownewspaper is also based in Newton and covers Harvey County.
Newton is served by over-the-airATSCdigital TV of the Wichita-Hutchinson viewing market area,[40]cable TV byCox Communications, andsatellite TV.SeeMedia in Wichita, Kansas.
BNSF Railway passes through Newton for transportation and shipping.Amtrak'sSouthwest Chief stops in Newton twice each day and provides passenger rail service towardsLos Angeles andChicago.[41] The Amtrak station is located at 414 N Main St.[42]
Bus service is provided daily towards Wichita andSalina by BeeLine Express (subcontractor ofGreyhound Lines).[43][44] While there is no local fixed-route transit service, Harvey Interurban providesdial-a-ride transit service to the community.[45]
Major roads that pass through Newton areI-135,US-50,US-81, andK-15.
Newton City/County Airport, FAA:EWK,[46] is located 2 miles east of Newton. Its 7,002-foot (2,134 m) runway is one of only 11 runways in Kansas 7,000-foot (2,100 m) or longer. It has ILS and GPS approaches.[47][48]
Municipalities and communities ofHarvey County, Kansas,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Townships | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This community also has portions in an adjacent county or counties. | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
