Newton, Kansas
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Newton is a city and county seat of Harvey County, Kansas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 17,190. Newton is located 20 miles North of Wichita and is included in the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).
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History
From the earliest beginnings in 1871 to 1873 Newton came to be 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.
The history of Newton is intertwined with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Newton served as the Middle Division dispatching headquarters for the "Santa Fe" until the mid 1980's when all dispatching for the Chicago to Los Angeles system was centralized in the Chicago area. In 1995 the Santa Fe was merged with the Burlington Northern rail road. Now called the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway it is one of the largest railroads in the US. The BNSF continues to be a large industrial taxpayer although its impact as an employer has decreased in the past decade.
Geography
Newton is located at 38°2'39" North, 97°20'51" West (38.044089, -97.347597)Template:GR.
Newton lies at the "bull's eye" of the North American Continent. U.S. Highway 81, also known as the Meridian Highway (http://www.hchm.org/meridian/), stretches from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to Mexico City, Mexico through Central and South America. It passes through Newton, Kansas and 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 and ends in San Francisco, California.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 27.5 km² (10.625 mi²). 27.5 km² (10.625 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water with the exception of Sand Creek and several small tributaries.
Missing image Nts.jpg Built during the Great Depression, the Newton Station was modeled after Shakespeare's house on Stratford-on-Avon. |
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Missing image Amt.jpg SouthWest Chief arrives in Newton |
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 17,190 people, 6,851 households, and 4,610 families residing in the city. The population density is 692.8/km² (1,794.0/mi²). There are 7,277 housing units at an average density of 293.3/km² (759.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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. 12.73% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 6,851 households out of which 31.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% are married couples living together, 9.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% are non-families. 28.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.43 and the average family size is 2.99.
In the city the population is spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $38,236, and the median income for a family is $45,703. Males have a median income of $32,308 versus $21,906 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,529. 7.9% of the population and 5.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 9.7% of those under the age of 18 and 5.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Newton is located in Harvey County which is an agricultural and small manufacturing county with 34,361 people. Harvey County Kansas is part of a four county "Metro Area" with about a half million people. The major city in this metro area is Wichita, Kansas, 20 miles (20 minutes) to the South via I-135.
Major Highways (I-135, US 50, US 81, KS-15), an airport with a 7,002 foot runway, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, make Newton a central location for transportation and shipping. Amtrak's Southwest Chief stops in Newton twice each day and provides passenger rail service to either Los Angeles or Chicago.
People from Newton
- Jesse Unruh born and raised in Newton, later became a noted California politician
- Reed Crandall raised in Newton, notable comic book artist
- Jeannette K. Seger (http://carriagefactoryartgallery.com/jeannetteseger.html), Artist
- Lawrence Davenport (http://newtonrailroaders.com/LDavenport%20Bio_Thunbnails.htm), Artist
- R. Susan Mitchell-Dean (http://newtonrailroaders.com/Kitching-Bio-Pics.htm), Artist
- Phil Epp (http://www.philepp.com/), Artist
- Max Penner (http://www.carriagefactoryartgallery.com/maxpenner.html), Artist
- Joseph Loganbill (http://www.carriagefactoryartgallery.com/joeloganbill.html), Artist
- Conrad Snider (http://www.visit-snider.com/studio/), artist in clay
- Merle Block, Author
- Curtis Buller, Author
- L.M. (Mike) Hurley, Author
- Robert C. Hagan, Author
- Pearl Gladwyn Burk, Author
- Ray Cook, Artist-Sculpter
Media
Newton is served by local media as well as that of Wichita and national media. The following lists include both local media and media from the Wichita MSA.
Print media
The Newton Kansan (Morris Communications) serves Newton and the surrounding area as the daily local newspaper. It is not published on Sundays. The Wichita Eagle is the major newspaper for the region.
Television
Cox Communications supplies Newton with cable Television
Radio
- FM
- KMXW (http://www.magic923.com/) 92.3 MHz
- KBCU (http://www.bethelks.edu/KBCU/) 88.1 MHz - Bethel College (Kansas) - College events and Jazz music
Internet
- Cox Communications supplies Newton with broadband internet via cable modem
- SBC Communications supplies Newton with broadband internet via DSL and other technologies and is our main local phone company
- Hubris Communications (http://www.hubris.com/) supplies both dial up and DSL connections
External links
- The City of Newton, Kansas (http://www.newtonkansas.com/)
- Newton Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau (http://www.infonewtonks.org/)
- Gunfight at Hyde Park--Newton, Kansas (http://www.ukans.edu/heritage/gunfighters/hidepark.html)
- The Kansan Newspaper (http://thekansan.com/)
- Cutler's History of Harvey County (http://www.kancoll.org/books/cutler/harvey/harvey-co-p1.html)
- The Kansas Sampler Festival in Newton (http://www.kansassamplerfestival.com/)
- The Carriage Factory Art Gallery (http://www.carriagefactoryartgallery.com/)
- Current Newton Weather (http://www.wunderground.com/US/KS/Newton.html)
- Harvey County Historical Society (http://www.hchm.org)
