Newton

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. In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861, Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. In 1872, Harvey County was founded.

In 1871, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway extended a main line from Emporia westward to Newton by July 1871. The town soon became an important railroad shipping point of Texas cattle.

The city was founded in 1871 and named after Newton, Massachusetts, 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, the Newton airport was taken over by the US Navy as a secondary Naval 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 the Chicago to Los Angeles system was centralized in the Chicago area. In 1995, the Santa Fe merged with the Burlington Northern Railroad, and is now known as the BNSF Railway. 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 city has a total area of 12.60 square miles (32.63 km2), 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, Manitoba, Canada, to Mexico 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 the White House in Washington, DC, through Newton, Kansas, and continues on to Sacramento, California.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, Newton has a humid subtropical climate, 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

As of the 2020 census, Newton had a population of 18,602 with 7,501 households and 4,798 families. The population density was 1,276.4 inhabitants per square mile (492.8/km2). There were 8,256 housing units at an average density of 566.5 per square mile (218.7/km2); 9.1% of housing units were vacant, with a homeowner vacancy rate of 2.5% and a rental vacancy rate of 11.0%.

The median age was 39.2 years. The 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% 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.6 males age 18 and over.

Of the 7,501 households, 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. About 47.2% were married-couple households, 19.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. Approximately 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.4, and the average family size was 3.0.

99.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.4% lived in rural areas.

Non-Hispanic Whites accounted for 73.1% of the population, and Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 17.8%.

The percentage of those with a bachelor's degree or higher was estimated to be 21.5% of the population.

The 2016–2020 five-year American 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). 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, including 12.7% of those under 18 and 9.4% of those 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, 19,132 people, 7,584 households, and 5,045 families were living in the city. The population 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.

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.

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 serves Newton and the surrounding area as the daily local newspaper.

The Wichita Eagle is the major newspaper for the region.

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 of the Wichita-Hutchinson viewing market area, cable TV by Cox Communications, and satellite TV. See Media in Wichita, Kansas.

Infrastructure

Transportation

BNSF Railway passes through Newton for transportation and shipping. Amtrak's Southwest Chief stops in Newton twice each day and provides passenger rail service towards Los Angeles and Chicago. 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). 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 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.

Utilities

Internet

Cable is provided by Cox.

Fiber is provided by Ideatek.

Wireless is provided by Ideatek, Pixius.

Satellite is provided by HughesNet, StarBand, WildBlue.

TV

Cable is provided by Cox.

Satellite is provided by DirecTV, Dish Network.

Terrestrial is provided by regional digital TV stations primarily based in the Wichita/Hutchinson designated market area.

Telephone

Landline is provided by AT&T.

Cellular is provided by AT&T, Verizon.

Electricity is provided by Evergy.

Gas is provided by Kansas Gas Service.

Water

City is provided by City of Newton.

Rural is provided by Harvey County RWD #1.

Sewer is billed by City of Newton.

Trash is billed by 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 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 (1917–1982), illustrator and penciller of comic books and magazines, was inducted into Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2009

James Earp (1841–1926), brother of Wyatt Earp and Virgil Earp

Harold Foster (1906–1996), head coach of Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team, member of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

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

Elizabeth Hoisington (1918–2007), United States Army 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