BlockBefore
Decorative drawing: a small American settlement seen from a low hill. Not a photograph of this place.

Newton, Massachusetts

46 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1893 and the latest in 1989. It stands in Newton City. It lies in ZIP code area 02459. It stands on Coldspring Brook (historical). The Survey maps it on the Newton quadrangle. 88,923 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 98 feet above sea level.

Newton within Middlesex County

Population over time

2 figures

Newton grew from 85,146 to 88,923 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. 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.

YearPeople Change
201085,146
202088,923+3,777 (+4%)

Then and now

1893 to 1989

The same ground, surveyed 96 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Newton, surveyed 1989
Topographic sheet of Newton, surveyed 1893

Topographic sheets covering this place

46 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.

What happened here

An account from the chapter on Newton city, The inset identifies its exact source book and publication year.

From History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : Containing Carefully Prepared Histories of Every City and Town in the County, published 1880 - Newton City

Newton

JbIj^ 1700, M. 63. Capt. Noab, of Newton, an Officer in the Expedition against Canada. Killed in battle with the Freoch and Indians July C, 1C90. M. 50, leaving t son Thomas. Ebeneser, oC Newton, died June 21, 1691. .fi. 45. ... . . J. B. Jepson, Newton Comer, rereals many gravestones whose inscriptions are no longer l^ble, and others, recalling the names which filled a laige place in the early history of the town, and Belonged to the founders of its institutions and the authors of its prosperity.

Read the rest of this passage

In the county-history sources

124,955 words on this township

History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : Containing Carefully Prepared Histories of Every City and Town in the County, published 1880 names this settlement in its chapter on Newton City. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

On the 10th of December five companies of infantry and Captain Prentice's troop of horse marched from Massachusetts and from Plymouth Colony to Narragansett. On the 16th Captain Prentice received information that the Indians had burned Jeremiah Ball's house, and killed eighteen men, women, and children. He marched inmiediately in pursuit, killed ten of the Indians, captured fifty-five, and burned a hundred and fifty wigwams. " This exploit," says the historian of tlie day, " was performed by Captain Prentice, of the Horse."

Passage source: History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : Containing Carefully Prepared Histories of Every City and Town in the County, published 1880.

On the 21st of January, 1676, Captain Prentice's troops, being in advance of the infantry, met with a party of Indians, captured two, and killed nine of them. On the 18th of April ^ following, the Indians made a vigorous attack on Sudbury. Captains Wadswortli and Brockelbank fought bravely in defence, but were overpowered, and eighteen of their men took refuge in a mill. When notice of this attack reached Captain Prentice, he started immediately for Sudbury, with but few of his company, and entered that town with but six besides himself. The remnant of Captain Wadsworth's men defended the mill bravely until night, when they were relieved, and the Indians put to flight. All accounts agree that Captain Prentice rendered most invaluable service throughout the war. He was constantly an the alert, and by his bold and rapid marches he put the enemy to the sword or to flight, and made his name a terror to all the hostile Indians. After Philip was slain in July, 1676, terms of peace were offered to all Indians who would surrender. A Nipmuck sachem, called John, vAi\\ a number of his men, embraced the offer, and by order of the General Court were given in charge to Captain Prentice, who kept them at his house in Cambridge Village.

Passage source: History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : Containing Carefully Prepared Histories of Every City and Town in the County, published 1880.

Notwithstanding the fact that the Indian converts maintained unshaken their fidelity to the English, such was the prejudice against them and fear of them, that the General Court, on the breaking out of Philip's War, ordered them to be removed to Deer Island, in Boston Harbor, and Captain Prentice, with his troopers, was charged with the execution of t!ie order. Their number, including men, women, and cliildren, was about two hundred.

Passage source: History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : Containing Carefully Prepared Histories of Every City and Town in the County, published 1880.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Newton City - it names this place 372 more 372 times.

Fires near this place

107 since 2003

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 107 fires within 5 miles of Newton between 2003 and 2020, burning about 384 acres in total. None started naturally. 3 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
Recreation and ceremony55
Missing data/not specified/undetermined32
Debris and open burning9
Smoking5
Arson/incendiarism3
Other causes1
Equipment and vehicle use1
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

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

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
8 September 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
4 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
4 September 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlNEEDHAM
3 September 2018Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
3 September 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlNEEDHAM
23 September 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
23 September 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlWELLESLEY
21 September 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlNEEDHAM

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Middlesex County

Specimens collected near this place

12 of 2,544 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 2,544 specimens collected within 10 miles of Newton between 1898 and 1975: 1,271 Animalia, 666 Plantae, 547 Fungi, 29 Protozoa, 14 Chromista, 13 Bacteria, 4 Unrecorded. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by ?, A B Seymour, A. B. Seymour and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.

Image SpeciesYear Collected by Where, as recorded
Specimen of Corvus brachyrhynchos brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822Corvus brachyrhynchos brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 18221900not recordedWayland
Specimen of Lysimachia × producta (A.Gray) FernaldLysimachia × producta (A.Gray) Fernald1900A. P. Chute
Aglaospora profusa (Fr.) De Not.1898Collector unspecified
A photograph of the species Antennaria howellii, not of this specimenAntennaria howellii subsp. canadensis (Greene) R.J.Bayer1898Williams, E.F.
A photograph of the species Antennaria parlinii, not of this specimenAntennaria parlinii subsp. fallax (Greene) R.J.Bayer & Stebbins1898not recorded
A photograph of the species Antennaria plantaginifolia, not of this specimenAntennaria plantaginifolia (L.) Hook.1898not recorded
A photograph of the species Aquilegia canadensis, not of this specimenAquilegia canadensis L.1898M. I. GunnNatick
A photograph of the species Acanthis flammea, not of this specimenAcanthis flammea flammea (Linnaeus, 1758)1900ZAPPEY, W RROSLINDALE
A photograph of the species Acer carpinifolium, not of this specimenAcer carpinifolium Siebold & Zucc.1900A. K. HarrisonHarvard Botanic Garden, Cambridge.
A photograph of the species Acer palmatum, not of this specimenAcer palmatum var. dissectum (Thunb.) Miq.1900A. K. HarrisonHarvard Botanic Garden, Cambridge.
A photograph of the species Agaricus brunnescens, not of this specimenAgaricus brunnescens Peck1900Morris, G. E.Waltham
A photograph of the species Alnus incana, not of this specimenAlnus incana subsp. rugosa (Du Roi) R.T.Clausen1900J. Murdoch, Jr.Roxbury

All 2,544 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this place

8 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 8 workings within 5 miles of Newton: 6 past producers, 1 producer, 1 plant. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Tantalum, Niobium (Columbium). Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Nrc Inc--Newton, Ma.Tantalum, Niobium (Columbium)Plant
Massachusetts Broken Stone CoStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Weston MineStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Burton PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Greendale PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Town of NeedhamSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Town of WellesleySand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Town of WellesleySand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Middlesex County

Storms near this place

17 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Newton in 17 storm reports between 1997 and 2025: 8 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 3 flood, 1 flash 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2020LightningWest Newton1 hurtA 62-year old woman was struck by lightning. She endured a side flash after lightning struck a tree near her. She was alert and breathing at the scene but was transported to a hospital for further evaluation.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindWest Newton$10,500In Newton, a tree was down on a car near 1750 Commonwealth Avenue. Also, a tree was down on a house at 111 Prospect Street. A tree was down on Park Drive. A tree was down on Adams Street at Wiltshire Road.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindWest Newton$8,000In West Newton, a tree was down on a car on Columbus Place. In the Waban section of western Newton, a tree fell onto a house on Larch Street.
May 2010Thunderstorm WindNewton$7,000A utility pole on Wyman Street was downed by thunderstorm winds.
June 2020FloodNewton$5,000In Newton, urban flooding caused two cars to have to be removed from flood waters near 100 Walnut Street. Also, Adams Street was flooded and impassable from Watertown Street (Route 16) to Cottage Court.
August 2015Thunderstorm WindNewton$5,000A tree was downed onto a house on Glastonbury Oval.
July 2012FloodNewton$5,000In Newton, a 20 foot stretch of Beacon Street was flooded with 1 foot of water. Also, Route 9 at the Parker Street underpass was flooded with 6 to 12 inches of water. Route 9 westbound near the Chestnut Hill Mall was flooded with 10 to 12 inches of water. In Natick, Speen Street near the Natick Mall was flooded with a foot of water. A few cars stalled out in the water.
August 2011FloodWest Newton$5,000After receiving two to three inches of rain with Tropical Storm Irene, the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Washington Street was impassable due to flooding in Newton. A car was stuck in flood waters on Commonwealth Avenue.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindNewton$1,300In Newton, a tree was down blocking Lewis Terrace at Washington Street. A second tree and wires were down in the same area.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindNewton$800In Newton, a tree was down on wires on Fairway Dr.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindNewton$700In Newton, a tree and power lines were down on Highland Avenue.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindWest Newton$500In Newton, there was a tree down on Henshaw Terrace.
August 2015HailNewton-no account filed
August 2015HailNewton-no account filed
July 2000HailNewton-no account filed
September 1999Flash FloodNewton-no account filed
May 1997HailNewton-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Middlesex 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.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Newton Center0.7 miles46
Newtonville0.9 miles46
Waban1.1 miles46
Newton Highlands1.2 miles46
Eliot1.2 miles46
West Newton1.5 miles46
Newton Upper Falls1.7 miles46
Woodland1.7 miles46

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 NewtonAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q49196The 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 617675. 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.

Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

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.