Newton, officially the ''Town of Newton'', is an

incorporated municipality Municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally owned c ...

in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Sussex CountyNew Jersey County Map

New Jersey Department of State The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing New Jersey State Council on the Arts, artistic, cultural, and New Jersey Historical Com ...

. Accessed July 10, 2017. in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, situated approximately northwest of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 8,374, its highest decennial population ever, an increase of 377 (+4.7%) from the 2010 census count of 7,997, which in turn reflected a decrease of 247 (−3.0%) from the 8,244 counted in the 2000 census. One of 15 municipalities in the state organized as a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

, the municipal government operates under a council-manager structure provided by the

Faulkner Act The Optional Municipal Charter Law or Faulkner Act (, et seq.) provides New Jersey municipalities with a variety of models of local government. This legislation is called the Faulkner Act in honor of the late Bayard H. Faulkner, former mayor ...

, or Optional Municipal Charter Law. Newton was incorporated by an act of the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and ...

on April 11, 1864, from portions of Newton Township, which was also partitioned to create Andover Township and Hampton Township, and was then dissolved. Additional land was acquired from Andover Township in 1869 and 1927, and from Fredon Township in 1920.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 231. Accessed May 30, 2024.

History

In the eighteenth century

Newton is located near the headwaters of the east branch of the

Paulins Kill The Paulins Kill (also known as Paulinskill River) is a tributary of the Delaware River in northwestern New Jersey in the United States. With a long-term median flow rate of 76 cubic feet of water per second (2.15 m3/s), it is New Jers ...

, a tributary of the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

.Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), United States Geological Survey
Geographic Names Information System Feature Detail Report: Paulins Kill
entered September 8, 1979. Accessed May 11, 2015. In October 1715, Colonial surveyor Samuel Green plotted a tract of at the head of the Paulins Kill, then known as the ''Tohokenetcunck River'', on behalf of

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

. This tract, which would not be settled for approximately 30–35 years, was part of the survey and division of the last acquisition of Native American land by the

West Jersey West Jersey and East Jersey were two distinct parts of the Province of New Jersey. The political division existed for 28 years, between 1674 and 1702. Determination of an exact location for a border between West Jersey and East Jersey was often ...

Board of Proprietors. At the time of Green's survey, northwestern New Jersey was populated with bands of the

Munsee The Munsee () are a subtribe and one of the three divisions of the Lenape. Historically, they lived along the upper portion of the Delaware River, the Minisink, and the adjacent country in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. They were prom ...

, the northern branch of the

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

Native Americans Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

. The first recorded European settler within the boundaries of present-day Newton was a

German Palatine Palatines () were the citizens and princes of the Palatinates, Holy Roman States that served as capitals for the Holy Roman Emperor. After the fall of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the nationality referred more specifically to residents of the ...

immigrant named Henry Hairlocker who arrived sometime before 1751 when he appears in Morris County records as receiving a tavern license. The ''Newtown Precinct'', a large township, was created in 1751, and Sussex County was created from Morris two years later on June 8, 1753. The township would be named ''Newtown'' after the colonial village of Newtown in

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

from where the Pettit family originated (the six Pettit brothers, all prominent landowners and influential figures in early local government, settled in northwestern New Jersey in the 1740s) or from its status as a "new town". In 1762,

Jonathan Hampton Jonathan Hampton (1712 - 1 November 1777) was an American colonial surveyor, merchant, and militia officer involved with New Jersey's frontier fortifications and defenses along the Delaware River during the French and Indian War (1755-1763). In ...

, of Elizabethtown, surveyed the location for a

county courthouse A courthouse or court house is a structure which houses judicial functions for a governmental entity such as a state, region, province, county, prefecture, regency, or similar governmental unit. A courthouse is home to one or more courtrooms, ...

and town green at the intersection of a military supply road he built during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

and a major north–south artery called the King's Highway (present-day

New Jersey Route 94 Route 94 is a state highway in the northwestern part of New Jersey, United States. It runs from the Portland–Columbia Toll Bridge over the Delaware River in Knowlton Township, Warren County, where it connects to PA 611, northeast to ...

). The construction of the courthouse was completed in 1765 and the village that developed around it became known as ''Sussex Court House''. The county courthouse was the site of a raid by British partisan Lieutenant James Moody during the American Revolution. In 1797, the village's

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

was renamed ''Newtown'' and later, in 1825, the spelling was altered to ''Newton''. Newton Township would cede land to create new townships on several occasions in the eighteenth and nineteenth-centuries, until a final division dissolved the township on April 11, 1864, through a

legislative act Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred to a ...

that created the village of Newton as an incorporated town and two rural townships—

Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia * Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region * Hampton, Victoria ** Hampton railway station, Melbour ...

and

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia *Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Andov ...

Historic district

The Newton Town Plot Historic District is a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

encompassing the Town Plot section of Newton, along Church, High, Main, Moran, and Spring Streets; and Park Place. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on November 12, 1992, for its significance in architecture, commerce, community planning, settlement, and politics from 1762 to 1941. The district includes 51

contributing buildings In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...

, three

contributing objects In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distr ...

, and two

contributing sites In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distr ...

. It includes the Sussex County Courthouse, which was added individually to the NRHP in 1979 and the Hill Memorial, added in 1985. The Sussex and Merchants National Bank was built in 1927 with

Georgian Revival style Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover, George I, George II, Geor ...

and some Beaux Arts ornamentation. The Old Newton Burial Ground, established 1762, is a contributing site. It features a

bas relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

of Father Time on the cast-iron entrance gates. With File:82 Main Street, Newton, NJ.jpg, Hill Memorial and Christ Church File:93 Spring Street, Newton, NJ - area view.jpg, Former Sussex and Merchants National Bank File:Old Newton Burial Ground, Newton, NJ - entrance.jpg, Old Newton Burial Ground entrance gates

Geography

Geological features

Newton is located in the

Kittatinny Valley The Kittatinny Valley is a section of the Great Appalachian Valley in Sussex and Warren counties in northwestern New Jersey that is bounded on the northwest by Kittatinny Mountain, and in the southeast by the New Jersey Highlands region. The val ...

, a segment of the

Great Appalachian Valley The Great Appalachian Valley, also called The Great Valley or Great Valley Region, is one of the major landform features of eastern North America. It is a gigantic trough, including a chain of valley lowlands, and the central feature of the Appal ...

. The Great Appalachian Valley is a gigantic trough—a chain of valley lowlands that stretches about from

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

and is the easternmost edge of

Ridge and Valley Appalachians The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands division. The physiographic province is divided into three sec ...

physiographic province physiographic province is a geographic region with a characteristic geomorphology, and often specific subsurface rock type or structural elements. The continents are subdivided into various physiographic provinces, each having a specific characte ...

. This physiographic province, one of five in New Jersey, occupies approximately two-thirds of the county's area (the county's western and central sections) dominated by

Kittatinny Mountain Kittatinny Mountain (Unami language, Lenape: Kitahtëne) is a long ridge traversing primarily Sussex County, New Jersey, Sussex County in northwestern New Jersey, running in a northeast-southwest axis, a continuation across the Delaware Water G ...

and the Kittatinny Valley. This province's contour is characterized by long, even ridges with long, continuous valleys in between that generally run parallel from southwest to northeast. The features of the Ridge and Valley province were created approximately 300–400 million years ago during the

Ordovician period The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era, and the second of twelve periods of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years from the end of the Cambrian Period Ma (mill ...

and

Appalachian orogeny Appalachian may refer to: * Appalachian Mountains, a major mountain range in eastern United States and Canada * Appalachian Trail, a hiking trail in the eastern United States * The people of Appalachia and their culture ** Appalachian Americans, e ...

—a period of tremendous pressure and rock thrusting that caused the creation of the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

. This region is largely formed by

sedimentary rock Sedimentary rocks are types of rock (geology), rock formed by the cementation (geology), cementation of sediments—i.e. particles made of minerals (geological detritus) or organic matter (biological detritus)—that have been accumulated or de ...

.Lucey, Carol S.
Geology of Sussex County in Brief
'' (Trenton, NJ: New Jersey Geological Survey, November 1969), 21pp. Accessed August 28, 2012.Dalton, Richard
New Jersey Geological Survey Information Circular: Physiographic Provinces of New Jersey
(Trenton, NJ: Department of Environmental Protection, State of New Jersey, 2003, 2006). Accessed August 28, 2012. Newton's land area drains into the watersheds of the Paulins Kill and

Pequest River The Pequest River is a tributary of the Delaware River in the Skylands Region in northwestern New Jersey in the United States.Gertler, Edward. ''Garden State Canoeing'', Seneca Press, 2002. The Pequest, Native Americans in the United States, N ...

—two rivers that are tributaries of the Delaware River. These watersheds are separated by slate ridges that are part of the Martinsburg Formation. These slate ridges were quarried for slate for roofs and other industrial purposes beginning with a quarry opened by Elijah Blackwell in 1859 that operated under a series of different owners and commercial entities until 1930.

Political geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town had a total area of , including of land and of water (0.65%). The Town of Newton is bordered to the north and east by Hampton Township, to the west by Fredon Township, and to the south by Andover Township.

Climate and weather

Because of its location in the higher elevations of northwestern New Jersey's Appalachian mountains, Newton, as well as the rest of Sussex County, has a cooler

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

microthermal In climatology, the term microthermal is used to denote the continental climates of Eurasia and North America. Etymology The word ''microthermal'' is derived from two Greek words meaning "small" and "heat". This is misleading, however, since the ...

climate (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

Dfb) which indicates patterns of significant precipitation in all seasons and at least four months where the average temperature rises above Thornthwaite, Charles Warren. ''Atlas of Climatic Types in the United States 1900-1939: U.S. Department of Agriculture Miscellaneous Publication 421''. (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1941); and Thornthwaite. "The Climates of North America: According to a New Classification" in ''Geographical Review'' (October 1931), 21(4):633-655. This differs from the rest of the state which is generally a humid

mesothermal In climatology, the term mesothermal is used to refer to certain forms of climate found typically in the Earth's temperate zones. It has a moderate span of temperature, with winters not cold enough to sustain snow cover. Summers are warm within o ...

climate, in which temperatures range between during the year's coldest month. Sussex County is part of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6. During winter and early spring, New Jersey in some years is subject to "

nor'easters A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below) is a large-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. Typically, such storms originate as a low-p ...

"—significant storm systems that have proven capable of causing

blizzards A blizzard is a severe Winter storm, snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow th ...

flooding A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant concern in agriculture, civi ...

throughout the northeastern United States.

Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

and

tropical storms A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

tornadoes A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

, and

earthquakes An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they c ...

are relatively rare. The Kittatinny Valley to the north of Newton, part of the

, experiences a

snowbelt The Snowbelt, Snow Belt, Frostbelt, or Frost Belt is the region near the Great Lakes in North America where heavy snowfall in the form of lake-effect snow is particularly common. Snowbelts are typically found downwind of the lakes, principally off ...

phenomenon and has been categorized as a

microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often slightly but sometimes substantially. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square m ...

region known as the " Sussex County Snow Belt." This region receives approximately of snow per year and generally more snowfall that the rest of Northern New Jersey and the Northern Climate Zone. This phenomenon is attributed to the

orographic lift Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and cr ...

of the Kittatinny Ridge which impacts local weather patterns by increasing

humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation (meteorology), precipitation, dew, or fog t ...

and

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...

. In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Newton have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in June.Monthly Averages for Newton, New Jersey
The Weather Channel. Accessed October 13, 2013. According to the

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commerc ...

Natural Resource Conservation Service

soil survey Soil survey, or soil mapping, is the process of classifying soil types and other soil properties in a given area and geo-encoding such information. Background Soil surveys apply the principles of soil science and draw heavily from geomorpholog ...

, the area receives

sunshine Sunlight is the portion of the electromagnetic radiation which is emitted by the Sun (i.e. solar radiation) and received by the Earth, in particular the visible light perceptible to the human eye as well as invisible infrared (typically per ...

approximately 62% of the time in summer and 48% in winter. Prevailing winds are typically from the southwest for most of year; but in late winter and early spring come from the northwest. The lowest recorded temperature was −26 °F on January 21, 1994. The highest recorded temperature was on September 3, 1953. The heaviest one-day snowfall was recorded on January 8, 1996 (combined with the next day, total snowfall was 40 inches). The heaviest one-day rainfall—— was recorded on August 19, 1955.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 7,997 people, 3,170 households, and 1,842 families in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 3,479 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 85.04% (6,801)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 4.88% (390) Black or African American, 0.49% (39)

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

, 2.98% (238) Asian, 0.05% (4)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 4.34% (347) from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), ...

, and 2.23% (178) from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

of any race were 12.34% (987) of the population. Of the 3,170 households, 27.2% had children under the age of 18; 40.1% were married couples living together; 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present and 41.9% were non-families. Of all households, 36.1% were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 3.06. 21.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.5 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 87.6 males. The Census Bureau's 2006–2010

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

showed that (in 2010

inflation-adjusted In economics, nominal value refers to value measured in terms of absolute money amounts, whereas real value is considered and measured against the actual goods or services for which it can be exchanged at a given time. Real value takes into acco ...

dollars)

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $48,702 (with a margin of error of ± $7,922) and the median family income was $72,266 (± $10,712). Males had a median income of $57,369 (± $5,859) versus $29,676 (± $3,910) for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the borough was $25,296 (± $2,141). About 10.9% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 16.6% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census there were 8,244 people, 3,258 households, and 1,941 families residing in the town. The

was . There were 3,425 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 91.97%

, 2.80%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.13%

, 1.97% Asian, 0.01%

, 1.16% from

, and 1.35% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 3.80% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Newton town, New Jersey
,

. Accessed February 24, 2013.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Newton town, Sussex County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed February 24, 2013. There were 3,258 households, out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.4% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.12. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $44,667, and the median income for a family was $56,484. Males had a median income of $41,089 versus $30,016 for females. The

for the town was $20,577. About 6.9% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the

, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 11% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Museums, galleries, and libraries

Newton is home to the Sussex County Historical Societys Hill Memorial Museum, the oldest continuously operating museum building in the state. The society, founded in 1904, offers a research and genealogical collection, and displays focused on the region's history, from Mastodon bones and Native American artifacts and from the Revolutionary War to World War II. * Newton Fire Museum on Spring Street * Sussex County Arts & Heritage Council operates a gallery on Spring Street. * Dennis Library, founded as a private library association in the mid-19th century, now part of the Sussex County Library System.

Performing arts

The Newton Theatre is a former Reilly and Hall movie theater originally constructed in 1924 that has been converted into a 605-seat performing arts center. Drama Geek Studios is a non-profit community theatre group, based in Newton, NJ by the Newton Theatre. They offer classes, workshops, and performances to people of all ages in Sussex County.

Religion

Newton's community offers a range of Christian houses of worship and one Jewish synagogue. These include: * Christ Church, founded in 1769, an

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

parish within the

Episcopal Diocese of Newark The Episcopal Diocese of Newark is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America comprising the northern third of New Jersey in the United States. The Diocese represents the Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Chu ...

* First Presbyterian Church of Newton, founded in 1786, and affiliated with the PCUSA. * The First United Methodist Church * Covenant Reformed Church * First Baptist Church of Newton, established in nearby Augusta in the 1750s, moved to Newton in 1810. * St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson. * Temple B'Nai Shalom, a Jewish synagogue and headquarters of Drama Geek Studios. * Christ Community Church of the Christian Missionary Alliance (located in the old train station plaza) File:Christ Church, Newton, NJ.jpg, Christ Church File:First Presbyterian Church, Newton, NJ - looking northwest.jpg, First Presbyterian Church

Sports

Skylands Park Skylands Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Augusta, New Jersey, Augusta section of Frankford Township, New Jersey, Frankford Township in Sussex County, New Jersey, that is home to the Sussex County Miners of the Frontier League (FL). I ...

in nearby Frankford Township, is the home of the

Sussex County Miners The Sussex County Miners are a professional baseball team based in Augusta, New Jersey. The Miners compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the East Division in the Atlantic Conference. The team plays its home games at Skylands Stadium ...

, who play in the

Frontier League The Frontier League (FL; French: ''Ligue Frontière'', LF) is a professional baseball league in North America composed of 18 teams – 15 in the United States and 3 in Canada. The FL is one of the eight independent baseball leagues in North Ame ...

Parks and recreation

* Memory Park, established with of land donated by Newman E. Drake in 1928. * Pine Street Park, a small park located at the end of a residential street that hosts youth soccer games and has a playground. * Newton Square, a green area in the center of town that can be booked out for rallies and events and is owned by Sussex County.

Government

Local government

Newton NJ Municipal Building Trinity Street

Newton operates under the Council-Manager form of municipal government (Plan B), in accordance with the

, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, as one of 42 municipalities (of the 564) in the state to use this form. This form of government was implemented based on the recommendations of a

Charter Study Commission The Optional Municipal Charter Law or Faulkner Act (, et seq.) provides New Jersey municipalities with a variety of models of local government. This legislation is called the Faulkner Act in honor of the late Bayard H. Faulkner, former mayor ...

as of July 1, 1978. The town's governing board is comprised of a five-member Town Council, whose members are chosen

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...

non-partisan Nonpartisanship, also known as nonpartisanism, is a lack of affiliation with a political party and a lack of political bias. While an ''Oxford English Dictionary'' definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., ...

elections to four-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats coming up for election in November of even-numbered years in alternating fashion.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'',

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy The Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy of Rutgers University (The Bloustein School) serves as a center for the theory and practice of urban planning, public policy and public health/health administration scholarship. The sc ...

, March 2013, p. 110. The council selects a mayor and deputy mayor from among its members to serve one-year terms of office, at a reorganization meeting held annually in January. After voters passed a referendum in 2018, the town's municipal elections were shifted from May to November. , members of the Town Council are

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

John-Paul E. Couce (term on council and as mayor ends December 31, 2024), Deputy Mayor Helen R. Le Frois (term on council ends 2026; term as deputy mayor ends 2024), Matthew S. Dickson (2026), Sandra Lee Diglio (2026) and Michelle J. Teets (2024).Town Council
Town of Newton. Accessed May 24, 2024.Sussex County, New Jersey General Election November 8, 2022, Official Results Summary Report

Sussex County, New Jersey Sussex County () is the northernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its county seat is Newton.Election Summary November 3, 2020 General Election Official Amended Results

Sussex County, New Jersey Sussex County () is the northernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its county seat is Newton. Since 1762, Newton has been the

of Sussex County. It is the location of the county's administrative offices, court facilities, and county jail. The town is located in the 5th Congressional DistrictPlan Components Report

New Jersey Redistricting Commission The New Jersey Redistricting Commission is a constitutional body of the government of New Jersey tasked with redrawing the state's Congressional election districts after each decade's census. Like Arizona, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana, and Washington ...

, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020. and is part of New Jersey's 24th state legislative district.Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District

. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan American nonprofit political organization. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include Voter registration, registering voters, providing voter information, boosting voter turnout and adv ...

. Accessed October 30, 2019.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 4,476 registered voters in Newton, of which 881 (19.7% vs. 16.5% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,537 (34.3% vs. 39.3%) were registered as

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

and 2,052 (45.8% vs. 44.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 6 voters registered as

Libertarians Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

or Greens.Voter Registration Summary - Sussex

Division of Elections, March 23, 2011. Accessed February 24, 2013. Among the town's 2010 Census population, 56.0% (vs. 65.8% in Sussex County) were registered to vote, including 71.0% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 86.5% countywide). In the

2012 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: ...

, Republican

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

received 1,546 votes (50.9% vs. 59.4% countywide), ahead of Democrat

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

with 1,395 votes (45.9% vs. 38.2%) and other candidates with 87 votes (2.9% vs. 2.1%), among the 3,038 ballots cast by the town's 4,645 registered voters, for a turnout of 65.4% (vs. 68.3% in Sussex County). In the 2008 presidential election, Republican

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

received 1,747 votes (54.8% vs. 59.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 1,359 votes (42.6% vs. 38.7%) and other candidates with 62 votes (1.9% vs. 1.5%), among the 3,189 ballots cast by the town's 4,418 registered voters, for a turnout of 72.2% (vs. 76.9% in Sussex County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

received 1,903 votes (59.6% vs. 63.9% countywide), ahead of Democrat

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

with 1,220 votes (38.2% vs. 34.4%) and other candidates with 54 votes (1.7% vs. 1.3%), among the 3,191 ballots cast by the town's 4,359 registered voters, for a turnout of 73.2% (vs. 77.7% in the whole county). In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...

received 67.3% of the vote (1,210 cast), ahead of Democrat

Barbara Buono Barbara A. Buono (born July 28, 1953) is an American politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2014, where she represented the 18th Legislative District. She served from 2010 to 2012 as the Majority Leader in the Senate, succ ...

with 29.5% (531 votes), and other candidates with 3.2% (58 votes), among the 1,808 ballots cast by the town's 4,705 registered voters (9 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 38.4%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,161 votes (57.0% vs. 63.3% countywide), ahead of Democrat

Jon Corzine Jon Stevens Corzine ( ; born January 1, 1947) is an American financial executive and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from New Jersey from 2001 to 2006, and the 54th governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. Corzine ran f ...

with 620 votes (30.4% vs. 25.7%), Independent

Chris Daggett Christopher Jarvis Daggett (born March 7, 1950) is an American businessman who is the president and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, one of the largest foundations in New Jersey. A former regional administrator of the United States En ...

with 203 votes (10.0% vs. 9.1%) and other candidates with 34 votes (1.7% vs. 1.3%), among the 2,037 ballots cast by the town's 4,323 registered voters, yielding a 47.1% turnout (vs. 52.3% in the county).

Law enforcement and public safety

Established in 1910, Newton has a municipal police department, currently under the leadership of its 12th Chief of Police, Steven VanNieuwland, who was appointed in June 2021. Newton is also home to the Sussex County Sheriff's Office. A barracks for the

New Jersey State Police The New Jersey State Police (NJSP) is the official state police force of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a general-powers police agency with statewide jurisdiction, designated by troop sectors. History The legislation for the creation o ...

is located in

Augusta, New Jersey Augusta is an unincorporated community located within Frankford Township, in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population for the ZIP Code Tabulation Area 07822 was 887. ...

, several miles north of Newton.

Education

Elementary and secondary schools

The Newton Public School District serves students in

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

through

twelfth grade Twelfth Grade (also known as Grade 12, Senior Year, Standard 12, 12th Standard, 12th Class, or Class 12th or Class 12) is the twelfth and final Educational stage, year of Formal education, formal or compulsory education. It is typically the final ...

. The district's enrollment includes high school students from Andover Borough and

and

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...

townships, who attend the high school as part of

sending/receiving relationship A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts hav ...

s. As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 1,586 students and 137.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio The student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio refers to the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers or staff in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that ...

of 11.6:1.District information for Newton Public School District

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data on education in the United States. Established under , it operates within the Institute of Education S ...

. Accessed December 1, 2022. Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the

) are Merriam Avenue School with 451 students in grades PreK-4, Halsted Middle School with 331 students in grades 5-8 and Newton High School with 710 students in grades 9–12. Founded in 1956, the Saint Joseph's Regional School was a private school affiliated with parish of Newton's Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church and overseen by the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson The Diocese of Paterson () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in North Jersey, northern New Jersey. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese ...

.About Us: 2015–2016 School Profile
St Joseph's Regional School, Newton, New Jersey, backed up by the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

as of Match 4, 2016. Accessed September 17, 2018. St Joseph's provided classes from pre-kindergarten (ages 3–5) to seventh-grade for a total enrollment of 140 students. The school closed in June 2016 and was one of four schools that merged into Reverend George Brown School in

Sparta Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...

Higher education

Sussex County Community College Newton NJ Main Building 2013

Sussex County Community College Sussex County Community College (SCCC) is a Public college, public Community colleges in the United States, community college in the town of Newton, New Jersey, Newton in Sussex County, New Jersey. It is School accreditation, accredited by the M ...

(commonly referred to as ''SCCC'') is an

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

co-ed Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

ucational, two-year,

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

located on a campus in Newton. The SCCC campus was formerly the site of

Don Bosco College Don Bosco College was a Roman Catholic seminary located in Newton, New Jersey. Opening in , it was operated by the Salesian Order (Society of St. Francis de Sales) until it was closed in 1989 and its 179-acre campus sold to the Sussex County, Ne ...

, a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

operated by the

Salesian Order The Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), formally known as the Society of Saint Francis de Sales (), is a religious congregation of men in the Catholic Church, founded in 1859 by the Italian priest John Bosco to help poor and migrant youth during the ...

from 1928 until it was closed in the early 1980s and its campus sold to the Sussex County government in June 1989 for $4.2 million. SCCC was authorized as a "college commission" in 1981 and began operations the following year. It became fully accredited in 1993 by the Commission on Higher Education of the

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, also referred to as the Middle States Association or MSA, is an accreditor in the United States. Historically, it has accredited schools in the Mid-Atlantic states region of the northeas ...

.Institution Directory: Sussex County Community College

. Accessed July 18, 2012. SCCC offers 40

associate degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

and 16 post-secondary

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...

and

health science The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to health sciences: Health sciences – those sciences that focus on health, or health care, as core parts of their subject matter. Health sciences relate to multiple ...

certificate programs available both at traditional classes at its campus, through hybrid and online classes, and through distance learning."Degrees, Programs and Certificates"
Sussex County Community College (Newton, NJ). Accessed August 2, 2013. Many students who attend SCCC transfer to pursue the completion of their undergraduate college education at a four-year college or university. The college also offers programs for advanced high school students, community education courses, and programs in cooperation with the

New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The New Jersey Civil Service Commission is an independent body within the New Jersey state government under the auspices of ...

. The school had an enrollment of 3,012 students of which half attended full-time and half attended part-time.

Infrastructure

Roads and highways

, the town had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Sussex County and by the

New Jersey Department of Transportation The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transport ...

. Newton is located at the intersection of

U.S. Route 206 U.S. Route 206 (US 206) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway in the states of New Jersey, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania. Only about a half a mile (800 m) of its length is in Pennsylvania; the Milford–Monta ...

(known within Newton as Woodside Avenue, Main Street, and Water Street),

(known within Newton as High Street and Water Street), and County Route 519 (known within Newton as West End Avenue and Mill Street) and County Route 616 (known within Newton as Spring Street and Sparta Avenue).

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...

is accessible approximately to the south.

Public transportation

The nearest

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. I ...

rail station is Netcong, approximately to the south.

Lakeland Bus Lines Lakeland Bus Lines, Inc is a privately chartered and apportioned bus company headquartered in Dover, New Jersey. Lakeland operates commuter routes from Morris, Sussex, Somerset and Essex Counties, New Jersey to New York City. Routes Lakeland Bu ...

provides limited service between Newton and the

Port Authority Bus Terminal The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus station, bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving ab ...

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...

. Local bus service is provided by the Skylands Connect bus, which connects to Sparta, Hamburg, and Sussex.

Aviation

Newton Airport Newton Airport was a privately owned, public-use airport three miles south of Newton, in Sussex County, New Jersey. It closed in 2013, after it was purchased for $3.5M by Public Service Electric & Gas Company to be used to stage electrical po ...

was a public-use

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

located south of the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

. The airport closed in 2013.

Health care

Newton Memorial Hospital opened in the early 1930s during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. The medical center was established using funds from a willed gift of $35,000 from Thomas Murray (to be specifically used to establish a hospital in Newton) and a $100,000 bequest from Clarence Linn. The hospital "is a short-term, fully accredited, 146-bed acute care, not-for-profit hospital serving more than 250,000 people in Warren and Sussex counties in New Jersey, Pike County in Pennsylvania and southern Orange County in New York." Newton Memorial Hospital was bought by Atlantic Health System and changed its name to Newton Medical Center in 2011.

Media

Newspapers

Newton is home to the editorial offices of ''

New Jersey Herald The ''New Jersey Herald'' is a newspaper published six days (Sunday-Friday) every week. Its headquarters are in Newton, New Jersey. It is the only daily newspaper published in Sussex County, New Jersey and one of the oldest in the state. It has ...

'', the state's oldest newspaper, founded in 1829.

Radio and television

The town of Newton has three radio stations within its borders:

WNNJ WNNJ (103.7 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Newton, New Jersey and serving Sussex County. It airs a classic rock radio format focusing on the 1970s, 80s and 90s, and is owned by iHeartMedia The station is known as "103-7 ...

, on 103.7 FM, with a format of

Rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

, WRSK-LP on 95.7 FM from Sussex County Community College with a format of oldies/big band/country/polka and

WTOC (AM) WTOC (1360 AM) is a radio station licensed to Newton, New Jersey. Owned by Centro Biblico of NJ, Inc., the station broadcasts a Spanish-language Christian radio format. Until August 17, 2011, they aired an oldies music format with songs from ...

, which serves Newton in Spanish at 1360 AM.

WMBC-TV WMBC-TV (channel 63) is a television station licensed to Newton, New Jersey, United States, serving the New York metropolitan area as an affiliate of Merit TV. The station is owned by the Mountain Broadcasting Corporation, and maintains studi ...

is licensed to Newton, but its studios are in

West Caldwell, New Jersey West Caldwell is a township located in the West Essex area in northwestern Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located approximately west of Manhattan and northwest of Newark. As of the 2020 United States census, the towns ...

and its transmitter is near

Lake Hopatcong Lake Hopatcong is the largest freshwater body in New Jersey, United States, about in area. Located from the Delaware River and from Manhattan, New York City, the lake forms part of the border between Sussex County, New Jersey, Sussex and Morris ...

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Newton include: * Danny Baugher (born 1984), punter who played in the NFL for the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

Susanna Bokoyni Susanna Bokoyni (24 April 1879 – 24 August 1984), also known as "Princess Susanna", was a Hungarian centenarian and circus performer who was listed in Guinness World Records as the longest-lived dwarf on record. Early life and career Bok ...

(1879–1984), circus performer and oldest living little person on record *

Will Bradley Wilbur Schwichtenberg (July 12, 1912 – July 15, 1989), known professionally as Will Bradley, was an American trombonist and bandleader during the 1930s and 1940s. He performed swing, dance music, and boogie-woogie songs, many of them written o ...

(1912–1989), trombonist * Johnny Budd (1899–1963), football player in the early NFL for the

Frankford Yellow Jackets The Frankford Yellow Jackets were a professional American football team, part of the National Football League from 1924 to 1931, although its origin dates back to as early as 1899 with the Frankford Athletic Association. The Yellow Jackets wo ...

and the

Pottsville Maroons The Pottsville Maroons were an American football team based in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, in the northeastern part of the state. Founded in 1920, they played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1925 to 1928. In 1929 they relocated to Bost ...

* Alex Cable, optical engineer, inventor and entrepreneur, who is the founder of optical equipment manufacturer Thorlabs * Henry J. B. Cummings (1831–1909), member of the United States Congress who represented Iowa's 7th congressional district * Newman E. Drake (1860–1930), founder of Drake's bakery *

Jeff Fogelson Jeffrey Fogelson (1947–2018) was the athletic director at Seton Hall University from 1998 to 2006. From 1984 to 1998, he served as associate vice president and director of athletics at Xavier University. In 2008, he was inducted into the Xa ...

(1947–2018), athletic director at

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizab ...

from 1998 to 2006 *

Janeane Garofalo Janeane Garofalo ( ; born September 28, 1964) is an American comedian, actress, and former co-host on Air America Radio's '' The Majority Report''. The accolades she has received include nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Screen Act ...

(born 1964), actress and comedian * John W. Griggs (1849–1927), 27th

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...

who later served as

United States Attorney General The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the Federal government of the United States, federal government. The attorney general acts as the princi ...

* Robert Hamilton (1809–1878), represented in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from 1873 to 1877 * James Howard (died 1879), soldier who was awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

in 1865 for his actions in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

* Ardolph L. Kline (1858–1930), represented Brooklyn in the United States House of Representatives from Brooklyn in 1921–1923 and served in 1913 as acting

Mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The Mayoralty in the United States, mayor's office administers all ...

Leonard LaRue Captain Leonard LaRue (January 14, 1914 – October 14, 2001), later known as "Brother Marinus", was the skipper of the SS ''Meredith Victory'', a United States Merchant Marine cargo freighter that was involved in the largest humanitarian r ...

(1914–2001), captain of the SS ''Meredith Victory'' who was involved in the largest humanitarian rescue operation by a single ship in human history *

Bruce Lawrence Bruce Bennett Lawrence (born August 14, 1941) is the Nancy and Jeffrey Marcus Humanities Professor of Religion at Duke University. He has taught at Duke since 1971. Education A graduate of Fay School and Princeton University, with a Master of D ...

(born 1941), Professor of Religion at

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

Mary Tuthill Lindheim Mary Tuthill Lindheim (February 14, 1912 – December 30, 2004), born Mary Barbara Tuthill, and also known professionally as Mary Tuthill or Mary Lindheim, was an American sculptor and studio potter. She trained as a sculptor with Ralph Stackpo ...

(1912–2004), sculptor * Robert H. McCarter (1859–1948),

New Jersey Attorney General The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confi ...

from 1903 to 1909 *

Alison Littell McHose Alison Elizabeth Littell McHose (born May 24, 1965) is an American Republican Party politician, who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2003 to 2015, where she represented the 24th Legislative District. Early life and education M ...

(born 1965), politician who served in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

from 2003 to 2015, where she represented the 24th Legislative District * Henry W. Merriam (1828–1900), shoe manufacturer *

Andrew Napolitano Andrew Peter Napolitano (born June 6, 1950) is an American retired jurist and syndicated columnist whose work appears in numerous publications, including ''The Washington Times'' and ''Reason''. Napolitano served as a New Jersey Superior Court ju ...

(born 1950), former

New Jersey Superior Court The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with statewide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The New Jersey Constitution of 1947 establishes the power of the New Jersey courts: under Article Six of the State Consti ...

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

, syndicated columnist, and a senior judicial analyst for

Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...

. He owns a

maple syrup Maple syrup is a sweet syrup made from the sap of maple trees. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in late winter and early spring. Ma ...

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

in Newton * Rodman M. Price (1816–1894), represented in the

from 1851 to 1853, and served as the

17th 17 (seventeen) is the natural number following 16 and preceding 18. It is a prime number. 17 was described at MIT as "the least random number", according to the Jargon File. This is supposedly because, in a study where respondents were asked to ...

, from 1854 to 1857 * Andrew J. Rogers (1828–1900), represented in the

from 1863 to 1867 *

Chaz Stevens Timothy "Chaz" Stevens (born August 31, 1964) is an American political activist, artist, software developer, and entrepreneur from Florida. He is active in local politics in Broward County, and has gained national notoriety for his colorful sta ...

(born 1964), political activist and entrepreneur *

Red Strader Norman Parker "Red" Strader (December 21, 1902 – May 26, 1956) was an American football player and coach who served in both capacities at the collegiate and professional levels. In the college ranks, he spent two years as head coach at Saint M ...

(1902–1956), football player and coach * Matt Valenti (born 1984), two-time national champion wrestler for the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

who won the 133 pound weight class at the NCAA tournament in both 2006 and 2007 *

Jenny Owen Youngs Jenny Owen Youngs (born November 22, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter. She has released four albums and a handful of EPs both independently and via Nettwerk Records, and has toured worldwide. Youngs is also a songwriting collaborator whose ...

(born 1981), singer-songwriter

Points of interest

* Newton Cemetery * Newton Town Green * Old Newton Burial Ground is a historic cemetery that was the primary burial ground in the town for a century after its establishment in 1762. * Spring Street * Sussex County Courthouse – The original courthouse was constructed in 1765 and destroyed by fire in 1847. The structure was rebuilt in 1848. *

** Horton Mansion on the SCCC campusThe Horton Mansion
Newton, NJ. Accessed February 24, 2013.

References

Notes

Citations

Reading list

External links

* {{Authority control 1864 establishments in New Jersey County seats in New Jersey Faulkner Act (council–manager) Populated places established in 1864 Populated places established in the 18th century Towns in New Jersey Towns in Sussex County, New Jersey