Newton County, Mississippi
| Newton County, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
 Location in the U.S. state of Mississippi |
|
 Mississippi's location in the U.S. |
|
| Founded | 1836 |
| Named for | Isaac Newton |
| Seat | Decatur |
| Largest town | Union |
| Area | |
| • Total | 580 sq mi (1,502 km2) |
| • Land | 578 sq mi (1,497 km2) |
| • Water | 1.5 sq mi (4 km2), 0.3% |
| Population | |
| • (2010) | 21,720 |
| • Density | 38/sq mi (15/km²) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
Newton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 21,720. Its county seat is Decatur.
Newton County was formed in 1836, and was named in honor of Sir Isaac Newton.
Newton County is adjacent to Jasper County, which was named for Sgt. William Jasper, a Revolutionary War hero of the Siege of Savannah in 1779. Sgt. John Newton had a very similar history. Early in the 1800s, many places were named for these men. At least four other states, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri and Texas, have adjacent Jasper and Newton Counties. At least two states, Illinois and Iowa, have Newton as the county seat of Jasper County. In Arkansas, Jasper is the county seat of Newton County. The frequency of occurrence of these names in juxtaposition shows that the stories of Sgts. Jasper and Newton were widely known, and associated with each other at the time these counties were named.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 580 square miles (1,500 km2), of which 578 square miles (1,500 km2) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2) (0.3%) is water.
As of the census of 2000, there were 21,838 people, 8,221 households, and 6,001 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 people per square mile (15/km²). There were 9,259 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 65.01% White, 30.37% Black or African American, 3.68% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.33% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races. 0.91% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
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