Newton, Kansas

16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1889 and the latest in 1989. It stands in Newton City. It lies in ZIP code area 67114. The Survey maps it on the Newton quadrangle. 18,602 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,447 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Newton within Harvey County

On record in Newton

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 12 of 15 shown

Carnegie Librarylisted 1974
Mennonite Settler Statuelisted 1998
Newton Main Street Historic District IIlisted 2003
Newton Stadiumlisted 2004
Santa Fe Depotlisted 1985
Warkentin Houselisted 1970
Samuel A. Brown Houselisted 1988
Coleman Houselisted 2001
E.H. Hoag Houselisted 2001
Lincoln Schoollisted 2004
McKinley Residential Historic Districtlisted 2008
Jairus Neal Houselisted 1982

Every listing in Harvey County

Population over time

2 figures

Newton fell from 19,132 to 18,602 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

Year	People	Change
2010	19,132
2020	18,602	-530 (-3%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

7 surveys from 16 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

1889 USGS Newton quadrangle1:125000
1894 USGS Newton quadrangle1:125000, 5 printings
1955 USGS Hutchinson quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
1957 USGS Newton quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
1959 USGS Hutchinson quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
1985 USGS Hutchinson quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
1989 USGS Newton quadrangle1:24000

Fires near this place

93 since 2015

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 93 fires within 5 miles of Newton between 2015 and 2020, burning about 185 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 10 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	31
Debris and open burning	30
Arson/incendiarism	10
Equipment and vehicle use	10
Power generation/transmission/distribution	4
Smoking	3
Fireworks	3
Natural	1
Recreation and ceremony	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
20 September 2015	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	1.0 acres	Kansas Forest Service	1502539
30 August 2017	Arson/incendiarism	under an acre	Harvey County	1702409
28 August 2017	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Harvey County	1702393
6 July 2017	Equipment and vehicle use	10 acres	Harvey County	1701879
5 July 2018	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Kansas Forest Service	1916
5 July 2018	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Kansas Forest Service	1921
4 July 2018	Fireworks	under an acre	Kansas Forest Service	1910
4 July 2015	Arson/incendiarism	1.0 acres	Kansas Forest Service	1501774

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Harvey County

Storms near this place

60 of 163 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Newton in 163 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 75 hail, 58 thunderstorm wind, 9 flash flood, 7 flood. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
August 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	North Newton	1 hurt, $25,000	Tractor-trailer overturned on I-135 near the North Broadway and First Street exits. The driver's injuries were minor. In addition, one transformer caught fire. It is unknown whether the blaze was caused by lightning or severe thunderstorm winds. Newton Kansan contributed greatly to this narrative.
August 1997	Lightning	Newton	$200,000	LIGHTNING STRUCK DUPLEX, SETTING IT ON FIRE. DUPLEX DESTROYED.
April 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	$100,000	A channeled microburst tore off roofs to several businesses and knocked out car windows at a car dealership. Numerous street signs were damaged and telephone poles were snapped.
January 2006	Tornado (F0)	Newton	$100,000	A landspout tornado touched down just northeast of Newton, blowing windows out of cars at an auto dealership, and downing light poles and large tree limbs.
July 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	$100,000	Widespread tree and power line damage resulted in power losses to about 2,000 residences in and around Newton.
April 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	$50,000	Straight line winds caused sporadic damage across Newton. Power poles were downed near the outlet mall south of Newton, as well as across other portions of the city. Some structural damage was noted throughout the city as well, most of which was relatively minor, and some trees and tree limbs were downed. The Newton Kansas contributed to this report.
May 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	$50,000	Motel sustained roof damage with several local businesses sustaining sign and awning damage. Numerous trees blown down, including a few falling onto cars and homes as well as power lines.
August 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	$30,000	Several power lines and trees were blown down at the intersection of 1st and Walnut as well as Share Drive and Meridian.
April 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	$25,000	The portion of the roof of the Newton Public Library was peeled off by a channeled microburst.
March 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	$25,000	Downed power lines severed power to approximately 155-160 residences.
September 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	$25,000	Barn damaged.
August 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	$25,000	Part of roof blown off a house and many trees blown down.
August 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	North Newton	$10,000	Power lines were blown down by 50 to 60 mph winds.
April 1999	Lightning	Newton	$10,000	Lightning struck a house, setting fire to the attic.
June 2010	Flash Flood	North Newton	$5,000	Overnight rainfall caused flooding along Sand Creek and Emma creek through the town of Newton. This caused numerous roads to close across town. Three to five inches of rainfall fell overnight.
April 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	$5,000	Large tree limbs were blown down, and siding was tore off a house.
August 2003	Lightning	Newton	$5,000	Home struck, with damage to roof and electrical circuitry. (Newton Kansan.)
September 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	$5,000	Shed and widespread tree damage.
March 1993	Hail	Newton	$5,000	no account filed
July 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	North Newton	$3,000	A machine shed was destroyed.
July 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	North Newton	$1,000	Winds estimated at 60 mph carried a sheet metal shed about 25 to 50 yards, and also downed a 4 inch diameter tree limb.
May 2005	Lightning	Newton	$1,000	Home struck, with the resulting electrical surge causing a small fire in the bathroom fan. Time of occurrence is an approximation. (Narrative courtesy of Newton Kansan.)
August 2003	Lightning	Newton	$500	Tree struck; caught fire. Narrative courtesy of Newton Kansan.
July 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	$500	no account filed
May 2019	Flood	Newton	$100	Most of the dirt roads in the western half of county were impassible due to high water.
September 2018	Flood	Newton	$100	Emma Creek rose out of its banks leading to flooded rural roads.
October 2018	Flood	Newton	$100	Water was reported over south Spencer Road between Kansas highway 196 to southeast 60th. Report came in via social media.
July 2016	Flood	Newton	$100	Street flooding was reported in Newton, Halstead and Hesston.
May 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	-	A handful of trees, tree limbs, and powerline were down across the city of Newton.
July 2025	Hail	Newton	-	The report was received via KWCH.
June 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	-	Powerlines were knocked down from wind gusts.
June 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	-	A street light was knocked down and blocking the road in the 600 block of E 36th in Newton.
May 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	-	There was extensive tree and structural damage in and around Newton with multiple roads blocked. Per a storm survey, the damage was caused by straight line winds, and wind gusts were estimated to be up to 90 mph. This included damage to buildings at the Newton City County Airport which only measured a wind gust to 64 mph.
July 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	-	Public reported an estimated wind gust of 65 mph.
July 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	-	Public reported a large tree uprooted.
April 2024	Hail	Newton	-	Quarter to golf ball sized hail was reported in south Newton and just to the west of the city with the larger hail in the southern side of town.
August 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	-	A public report came in of estimated wind gusts between 55 and 60 mph.
June 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	-	A trained spotter reported the gust.
June 2023	Flood	Newton	-	High water on Kansas Avenue near SE 48th Street.
July 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	-	A tree was down and covered 7th Street. There was no impact to the power lines.
August 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	-	Measured wind gust of 61kts.
August 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	North Newton	-	Vehicle accident near US-50 interchange due to storm.
July 2022	Heavy Rain	Newton	-	A Cocorahs observer reported 2.73 inches in 24 hours.
July 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	-	Law enforcement reported the wind gust.
November 2022	Heavy Rain	Newton	-	A Coop observer reported 2.32 inches of rainfall.
June 2022	Heavy Rain	Newton	-	A Cocorahs observer near Newton reported 1.64 inches of rainfall in 24 hours.
June 2022	Heavy Rain	North Newton	-	A Cocorahs observer 3 miles west northwest of Newton reported 1.58 inches of rainfall in 24 hours.
June 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	North Newton	-	The roof of a machine shed was torn off.
June 2021	Flash Flood	Newton	-	Street flooding was occurring in multiple locations in town including several stalled vehicles.
June 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	-	There was extensive tree damage reported in downtown including multiple trees that had fallen on homes.
June 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	-	Multiple power poles were reported down.
June 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	-	A tree reportedly fell onto a home.
September 2021	Heavy Rain	Newton	-	A cocorahs observer reported 3.08 inches.
December 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	-	Several trees were blown down. This was reported as an estimated gust.
May 2019	Flash Flood	Newton	-	The flash floods spread from ditches across a roadway.
May 2019	Flash Flood	Newton	-	Southeast 60th & Spencer Avenues were flooded.
May 2019	Flash Flood	Newton	-	Several streets were closed in & around Newton.
August 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	North Newton	-	There were multiple reports of trees downed or uprooted just northeast of Halstead. The report was received via Twitter.
May 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	-	Reported via storm chaser.
May 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Newton	-	Damage to small sheds were reported on the south side of Newton. Multiple power lines are down as are several branches up to 2 inches in diameter.

Every storm recorded in Harvey County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Place	Distance	Sheets
Sand Creek	1.6 miles	16
North Newton	1.8 miles	16
McGraw	2.7 miles	16
Zimmerdale	4.5 miles	18
McLains	5.4 miles	14
Van Arsdale	5.4 miles	15
Putnam	5.8 miles	15
Walton	6.8 miles	16

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on Newton	An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1003636	The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 484319. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.