Newton, Kansas

Newton is a city in and the county seat of Harvey County, Kansas, United States. Newton is located north of Wichita. The city of North Newton. located immediately north, exists as a separate political entity. Newton is located at the intersection of Interstate 135, U.S. Route 50, and U.S. Route 81 highways.

History

19th century

thumb|left|A 1915 railroad map of [[Harvey County, Kansas|Harvey County]]

thumb|left|1905 Warkentin Mill

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

thumb|right|View of the main street, 1920s

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 .

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 , 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