Newton County, Indiana

{| class="wikitable floatright" style="text-align: center"

|+ Demographics (2010)

! Demographic

! Proportion

| White

|96.2%

| Black

|0.4%

| Asian

|0.3%

| Islander

|0.0%

| Native

|0.3%

| Other

|2.8%

| Hispanic<br />(any race)

|5.0%

Newton County is a county located near the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 13,830. This county is part of Northwest Indiana as well as the Chicago metropolitan area. The county seat is Kentland. The county is divided into 10 townships which provide local services.

History

The original Newton County was formed by statute on February 7, 1835, and was a roughly square area some 30 miles on a side, encompassing what is now the northern half of the county, the northern half of Jasper County, and a large section to the north. The northern border was cut back to the Kankakee River on February 1, 1836, with all land north of the Kankakee River going to Lake and Porter counties. The county was abolished and combined with Jasper County in 1839. On December 8, 1859, the county was re-created and the borders were redrawn to essentially their current state.

Newton County is named after Sgt. John Newton, who served under Gen. Francis Marion (the "Swamp Fox") in the American Revolutionary War. It is adjacent to Jasper County, which was named after Sgt. William Jasper, whose story is similar. At least four other states, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas, have adjacent Jasper and Newton Counties, as though these two were remembered as a pair.

Upon its re-creation, Newton County was the last of Indiana's 92 counties to be organized.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.58%) is land and (or 0.42%) is water.

In recent years, average temperatures in Kentland have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, with a record low of recorded in January 1985 and a record high of recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in June.

The executive body of the county is made of a board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered terms, and each serves a four-year term. One of the commissioners, typically the most senior, serves as president. The commissioners are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue and managing day-to-day functions of the county government.

Newton County is part of Indiana's 4th congressional district. It is part of Indiana Senate district 6 and Indiana House of Representatives districts 15 and 19.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 13,830. The median age was 44.7 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.1 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 89.1% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.7% from some other race, and 6.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 7.5% of the population.

There were 5,537 households in the county, of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.3% were married-couple households, 19.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The population density was . There were 6,030 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.2% white, 0.4% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 1.8% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.0% of the population.

Of the 5,503 households, 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.3% were non-families, and 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.00. The median age was 42.4 years.

Education

Public schools in Newton County are administered by two districts:

North Newton School Corporation
South Newton School Corporation

High Schools and Middle Schools

North Newton Junior-Senior High School
South Newton High School
South Newton Middle School

Elementary Schools

Lake Village Elementary School
Lincoln Elementary School
Morocco Elementary School
South Newton Elementary School

References

Bibliography

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