Newton, KS

Newton, Kansas
City
Newton City Hall (2006)
Location within Harvey County and Kansas
KDOT map of Harvey County (legend)
Coordinates: 38°2′39″N 97°20′51″W / 38.04417°N 97.34750°W / 38.04417; -97.34750Coordinates: 38°2′39″N 97°20′51″W / 38.04417°N 97.34750°W / 38.04417; -97.34750
Country	United States
State	Kansas
County	Harvey
Founded	1871
Incorporated	1872, 1880
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
• Mayor	Glen Davis
• City Manager	Jeremy Nisly
Area
• Total	12.60 sq mi (32.63 km2)
• Land	12.60 sq mi (32.63 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	1,447 ft (441 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	19,132
• Estimate (2016)	19,105
• Density	1,500/sq mi (590/km2)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	67114
Area code	316
FIPS code	20-50475
GNIS feature ID	0484319
Website	newtonkansas.com

Newton is a city in and the county seat of Harvey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 19,132. Newton is located 25 miles (40 km) north of Wichita. The city of North Newton is located immediately north, existing as a separate political entity.

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, there was a Gunfight at Hide Park, in which a total of 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.".