Newton

Sister cities

• Smila

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 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. In the 20th century, Newton was a manufacturing community, much of its growth derived from the washing machine 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 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…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. 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 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.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  934
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  761
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  747
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  703
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  676
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  568
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  539
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  528

Largest nearby schools

• Berg Middle School
  Middle · Newton · 841 students · 14:1 ratio
• Newton Senior High School
  High · Newton · 818 students · 17:1 ratio
• Colfax-Mingo Jr/Sr High School
  High · Colfax · 333 students · 12.3:1 ratio
• Thomas Jefferson Elementary School
  Elementary · Newton · 325 students · 13:1 ratio
• Woodrow Wilson Elementary School
  Elementary · Newton · 272 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• Aurora Heights Elementary School
  Elementary · Newton · 268 students · 12.8:1 ratio
• Emerson Hough Elementary School
  Elementary · Newton · 224 students · 11.2:1 ratio
• WEST Academy Alternative School
  High · Newton · 61 students · 10.2:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2025-06-25
  10 km WNW of Marysville, Iowa
• M 3 — 2025-06-25
  5 km S of Knoxville, Iowa
• M 3.3 — 2025-06-25
  8 km SE of Knoxville, Iowa