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Newton, Iowa

Newton is the county seat of and the most populous city in Jasper County, Iowa, United States.
Population 15,760

Top Events in Newton History

1
1846Government
== History == === Early history === Newton was founded in 1846 as Newton City, then shortened to Newton in 1847 and incorporated as a city in 1857.
2
1886Architecture
William Snooks opened a mine near Newton in 1886.
3
1911Architecture
Its most distinctive landmark, the Jasper County Courthouse, was built in 1911.
4
1919Infrastructure
=== Entertainment, recreation and sports === In 1919, E.H.
5
1927Culture
The Capitol II Theater is located in the historic downtown district of Newton and has been in operation since April 1927; originally operating as a vaudeville theater.
6
1938Culture
Newton entered the national stage in 1938 when martial law was declared during a strike at the Maytag Washing Machine Company.
7
1940History
Upon E.H.’s death in 1940, his sons Fred and Robert Maytag assumed leadership of the farms and Fred pursued his idea of creating a uniquely American blue cheese made from cow's ...
8
1941Architecture
The cheese plant and caves were completed a year later and the first wheels of Maytag Blue Cheese were formed in October 1941.
9
1948Architecture
The Valle Drive in is the oldest of all of these theaters, having opened in 1948.
10
1959History
This was the third of a series of airplane accidents or incidents in Iowa involving celebrities, after a 1959 accident in Clear Lake and a 1960 incident in Carroll that involved...

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Historical Timeline

1846Government
== History == === Early history === Newton was founded in 1846 as Newton City, then shortened to Newton in 1847 and incorporated as a city in 1857.
1886Architecture
William Snooks opened a mine near Newton in 1886.
1911Architecture
Its most distinctive landmark, the Jasper County Courthouse, was built in 1911.
1919Infrastructure
=== Entertainment, recreation and sports === In 1919, E.H.
1927Culture
The Capitol II Theater is located in the historic downtown district of Newton and has been in operation since April 1927; originally operating as a vaudeville theater.
1938Culture
Newton entered the national stage in 1938 when martial law was declared during a strike at the Maytag Washing Machine Company.
1940History
Upon E.H.’s death in 1940, his sons Fred and Robert Maytag assumed leadership of the farms and Fred pursued his idea of creating a uniquely American blue cheese made from cow's ...
1941Architecture
The cheese plant and caves were completed a year later and the first wheels of Maytag Blue Cheese were formed in October 1941.
1948Architecture
The Valle Drive in is the oldest of all of these theaters, having opened in 1948.
1959History
This was the third of a series of airplane accidents or incidents in Iowa involving celebrities, after a 1959 accident in Clear Lake and a 1960 incident in Carroll that involved...
1969History
==== Death of Rocky Marciano ==== On August 31, 1969, world boxing champion Rocky Marciano and two other occupants died when their airplane crashed in Newton.
2000History
=== 2000 census === As of the census of 2000, there were 15,579 people, 6,713 households, and 4,269 families residing in the city.
2002Culture
The Iowa Sculpture Festival was an annual event hosted in Newton which began in 2002.
2005Economy
Layoffs at the Newton plant continued through 2005.
2006History
Whirlpool's acquisition of Maytag in early 2006 led to speculation over the future of Maytag operations in Newton.
2007Culture
In January 2007, Whirlpool said in a statement that it sold most of the Maytag headquarters complex to Iowa Telecommunications Services Inc., a Newton-based telephone company wh...
2008Architecture
Additionally, Trinity Structural Towers, a company which manufactures wind turbine towers, opened in 2008.
2009Architecture
President Barack Obama visited the Trinity Structural Towers plant on April 22, 2009, that year's Earth Day.
2010History
In 2010, Jasper County had the highest unemployment rate of Iowa's 99 counties at 8.2%.
2013History
However, in the following years, the unemployment rate dropped considerably—down to 5.4% in 2013.
2014Government
=== Historic preservation === In February 2014, Newton was selected to take part in the Main Street Iowa program, which is a coordinating program for the Main Street America pr...
2015Culture
=== Other arts and culture === Newton began hosting Newton Fest in 2015.
2016Education
The site was donated to Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) by Reza Kargarzadeh in 2016.
2017History
The annual event ended in 2017.
2019Military
Cook, politician, lawyer, judge Nick Easley, awarded the 2019 Outback Bowl MVP while playing for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes Edgar S.
2020History
== Demographics == === 2020 census === As of the census of 2020, there were 15,760 people, 6,750 households, and 3,991 families residing in the city.

Did You Know?

1
Newton is located in the state of Iowa.
2
Newton has a population of 15,760 residents.
3
Located 30 miles (48 km) east of Des Moines, Newton is in Central Iowa.

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Famous People from Newton, Iowa

CB
Carl Browne
Cartoonist · Born Jul 4, 1849 · Died Jan 16, 1914 (age 64)
LG
Lyle Goodhue
Inventor · Born Sep 30, 1903 · Died Sep 18, 1981 (age 77)
P(
Paul Bell (politician)
Politician · Born Oct 3, 1950 · Died Jun 7, 2010 (age 59)
MC
Matt Chatham
Football Player · Born Jun 28, 1977 · Age 48
JC
John C. Cook
Politician · Born Dec 26, 1846 · Died Jun 7, 1920 (age 73)
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