Newton County, Indiana

Newton County, Indiana
County
Newton County Courthouse in Kentland
Location in the state of Indiana
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°57′N87°24′W / 40.950°N 87.400°W / 40.950; -87.400
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Organized	February 7, 1835
Abolished	1839
Re-organized	December 8, 1859
Named for	Sgt. John Newton
County seat	Kentland
Largest town	Kentland (population and total area)
Incorporated Municipalities	Five Towns Brook Goodland Kentland Morocco Mount Ayr
Government
• Type	County
• Body	Board of Commissioners
• Commissioner	Kyle Conrad (1st)
• Commissioner	Timothy Drenth (2nd)
• Commissioner	Mickey Read (3rd)
Area
•  County	403.44 sq mi (1,044.9 km2)
• Land	401.76 sq mi (1,040.6 km2)
• Water	1.68 sq mi (4.4 km2)
• Metro	10,874 sq mi (28,160 km2)
• Rank	43rd largest county in Indiana
• Region	2,726 sq mi (7,060 km2)
Elevation	692 ft (211 m)
Population  (2020)
•  County	13,830
• Estimate  (2023)	13,960
• Rank	82nd largest county in Indiana
• Density	34/sq mi (13/km2)
• Region	819,537
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (Central)
ZIP Codes	46310, 46349, 46381, 47922, 47942-43, 47948, 47951, 47963, 47978
Area code	219
Congressional district	4th
Indiana Senate district	6th
Indiana House of Representatives districts	15th and 19th
FIPS code	18-111
GNIS feature ID	0450376
Interstate and U.S. Routes
State Routes
Airport	Kentland Municipal
Waterways	Iroquois River – Kankakee River
Website	www.newtoncounty.in.gov
Indiana county number 56 Second county in Indiana to bear this name Youngest county in Indiana

Demographics (2010) ^[1]

Demographic	Proportion
White	96.2%
Black	0.4%
Asian	0.3%
Islander	0.0%
Native	0.3%
Other	2.8%
Hispanic (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. ^[2] The county seat is Kentland. ^[3] The county is divided into 10 townships which provide local services. ^{[4] [5]}

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. ^[6]

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 403.44 square miles (1,044.9 km²), of which 401.76 square miles (1,040.6 km²) (or 99.58%) is land and 1.68 square miles (4.4 km²) (or 0.42%) is water. ^[7]

Beaver Lake, once Indiana's largest lake before being drained, existed in what is now Newton County. ^[8]

J.C. Murphy Lake is at the center of Willow Slough Fish and Wildlife Area.

Newton County is the site of the Kentland crater, a probable meteorite impact crater located between Kentland and Goodland.

Major highways

• Interstate 65
• U.S. Route 24
• U.S. Route 41
• U.S. Route 52
• State Road 10
• State Road 14
• State Road 16
• State Road 55
• State Road 71
• State Road 114

Railroads

• CSX Transportation
• Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway

Adjacent counties

• Lake County (north)
• Jasper County (east)
• Benton County (south/ET Border)
• Iroquois County, Illinois (west)
• Kankakee County, Illinois (northwest)

Municipalities

The municipalities in Newton County, and their populations as of the 2010 Census, are:

Towns

• Brook – 997
• Goodland – 1,043
• Kentland – 1,748
• Morocco – 1,129
• Mount Ayr – 122

Census-designated places

• Lake Village – 765
• Roselawn – 4,131

Other unincorporated places

• Ade
• Beaver City
• Conrad
• Effner
• Enos
• Foresman
• Newton
• Pembroke
• Perkins
• Sumava Resorts
• Thayer

Townships

The 10 townships of Newton County, with their housing units as of the 2010 Census, are:

• Beaver
• Colfax
• Grant
• Iroquois
• Jackson
• Jefferson
• Lake
• Lincoln
• McClellan
• Washington

Climate and weather

Kentland, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.8     31 14     1.6     36 18     2.8     48 29     3.4     61 38     4.1     73 50     4.5     82 60     4     85 63     3.7     83 60     3.3     78 53     2.8     65 41     3.2     49 31     2.4     36 20 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel [9]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     45     −1 −10     41     2 −8     70     9 −2     86     16 3     103     23 10     115     28 16     102     29 17     93     28 16     83     26 12     72     18 5     81     9 −1     62     2 −7 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Kentland have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, with a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.60 inches (41 mm) in February to 4.51 inches (115 mm) in June. ^[9]

Government

See also: Government of Indiana

The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana and the Indiana Code. The county council is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all spending and revenue collection. Representatives are elected from county districts. The council members serve four-year terms and are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget and special spending. The council also has limited authority to impose local taxes, in the form of an income and property tax that is subject to state level approval, excise taxes and service taxes. ^{[10] [11]}

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. ^{[10] [11]}

The county maintains a small claims court that can handle some civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable who is elected to a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court. ^[11]

The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor and circuit court clerk. Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and be residents of the county. ^[11]

Each of the townships has a trustee who administers rural fire protection and ambulance service, provides poor relief and manages cemetery care, among other duties. ^[5] The trustee is assisted in these duties by a three-member township board. The trustees and board members are elected to four-year terms. ^[12]

Newton County is part of Indiana's 4th congressional district. It is part of Indiana Senate district 6 ^[13] and Indiana House of Representatives districts 15 and 19. ^[14]

United States presidential election results for Newton County, Indiana ^[15]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	5,131	77.73%	1,370	20.75%	100	1.51%
2020	4,942	74.78%	1,509	22.83%	158	2.39%
2016	4,077	69.57%	1,404	23.96%	379	6.47%
2012	3,291	58.02%	2,212	39.00%	169	2.98%
2008	3,301	54.53%	2,625	43.36%	128	2.11%
2004	3,757	64.24%	2,032	34.75%	59	1.01%
2000	3,250	58.98%	2,101	38.13%	159	2.89%
1996	2,075	43.14%	1,897	39.44%	838	17.42%
1992	2,295	42.95%	1,757	32.88%	1,292	24.18%
1988	3,274	65.02%	1,744	34.64%	17	0.34%
1984	3,560	68.54%	1,596	30.73%	38	0.73%
1980	3,850	66.81%	1,649	28.61%	264	4.58%
1976	3,204	58.44%	2,236	40.78%	43	0.78%
1972	3,771	75.00%	1,252	24.90%	5	0.10%
1968	3,145	61.75%	1,453	28.53%	495	9.72%
1964	2,780	52.06%	2,547	47.70%	13	0.24%
1960	3,517	65.12%	1,870	34.62%	14	0.26%
1956	3,890	74.49%	1,316	25.20%	16	0.31%
1952	4,159	74.79%	1,373	24.69%	29	0.52%
1948	3,312	68.36%	1,483	30.61%	50	1.03%
1944	3,398	67.91%	1,583	31.63%	23	0.46%
1940	3,536	62.32%	2,116	37.29%	22	0.39%
1936	2,937	54.31%	2,430	44.93%	41	0.76%
1932	2,380	46.65%	2,654	52.02%	68	1.33%
1928	3,053	64.48%	1,649	34.83%	33	0.70%
1924	2,705	60.37%	1,523	33.99%	253	5.65%
1920	3,129	64.37%	1,664	34.23%	68	1.40%
1916	1,377	47.58%	1,278	44.16%	239	8.26%
1912	892	34.12%	965	36.92%	757	28.96%
1908	1,645	56.47%	1,190	40.85%	78	2.68%
1904	1,803	62.22%	951	32.82%	144	4.97%
1900	1,715	57.45%	1,165	39.03%	105	3.52%
1896	1,545	55.64%	1,204	43.36%	28	1.01%
1892	1,191	52.49%	879	38.74%	199	8.77%
1888	1,283	57.66%	860	38.65%	82	3.69%

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	2,360		—
1870	5,829		147.0%
1880	8,167		40.1%
1890	8,803		7.8%
1900	10,448		18.7%
1910	10,504		0.5%
1920	10,144		−3.4%
1930	9,841		−3.0%
1940	10,775		9.5%
1950	11,006		2.1%
1960	11,502		4.5%
1970	11,606		0.9%
1980	14,844		27.9%
1990	13,551		−8.7%
2000	14,566		7.5%
2010	14,244		−2.2%
2020	13,830		−2.9%
2023 (est.)	13,960	[16]	0.9%
U.S. Decennial Census [17] 1790-1960 [18] 1900-1990 [19] 1990-2000 [20] 2010 [21]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 14,244 people, 5,503 households, and 3,945 families residing in the county. ^[22] The population density was 35.5 inhabitants per square mile (13.7/km²). There were 6,030 housing units at an average density of 15.0 per square mile (5.8/km²). ^[7] 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. ^[22] In terms of ancestry, 30.4% were German, 16.9% were Irish, 11.0% were English, 8.1% were Polish, 7.6% were Dutch, and 6.5% were American. ^[23]

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. ^[22]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $60,242. Males had a median income of $45,389 versus $29,891 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,055. About 4.8% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over. ^[24]

Education

Public schools in Newton County are administered by two districts:

• North Newton School Corporation ^[25]
• South Newton School Corporation ^[26]

High Schools and Middle Schools

• North Newton Junior-Senior High School ^[27]
• South Newton High School ^[28]
• South Newton Middle School ^[29]

Elementary Schools

• Lake Village Elementary School ^[30]
• Lincoln Elementary School ^[31]
• Morocco Elementary School ^[32]
• South Newton Elementary School ^[33]

See also

• Indiana portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Newton County, Indiana

Bibliography

• George Pence and Nellie C. Armstrong (1933). Indiana Boundaries: Territory, State, and County. Indiana Historical Society.

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics 2010, Table DP-1, 2010 Demographic Profile Data. U.S. Census website. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
2. "Newton County, Indiana". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved June 2, 2023.
3. "Find a County – Newton County, IN". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on December 11, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
4. "Newton". Indiana Township Association. Archived from the original on June 2, 2009. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
5. "Duties". United Township Association of Indiana. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
6. De Witt Clinton Goodrich & Charles Richard Tuttle (1875). An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana. Indiana: R. S. Peale & co. pp.  581.
7. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
8. Dobberstein, Michael (2020). "The Selling of Beaver Lake, 1853–1889: How the Largest Lake in Indiana Disappeared". Indiana Magazine of History. 116 (2): 122. doi:10.2979/indimagahist.116.2.02 – via Academic Search Complete.
9. "Monthly Averages for Kentland, Indiana". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
10. Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". Government of Indiana. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
11. Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2" (PDF). Government of Indiana. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
12. "Government". United Township Association of Indiana. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
13. "Indiana Senate Districts". State of Indiana. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
14. "Indiana House Districts". State of Indiana. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
15. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
16. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
17. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
18. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
19. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
20. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
21. "Newton County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
22. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
23. "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
24. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
25. "North Newton School Corporation – Our mission is for North Newton graduates to be productive and responsible citizens capable of solving problems and communicating effectively".
26. "South Newton School Corporation". www.newton.k12.in.us.
27. "School Website, CMS & Communications Platform | Finalsite".
28. South Newton High School
29. South Newton Middle School
30. "School Website, CMS & Communications Platform | Finalsite".
31. "School Website, CMS & Communications Platform | Finalsite".
32. "School Website, CMS & Communications Platform | Finalsite".
33. South Newton Elementary School

External links

• Newton County official website