[2] Located 30 miles (48 km) east of Des Moines, Newton is in Central Iowa.

[5] In the late 19th century, Newton's growth was fueled by the development of coal mines in the region.

[7] In the 20th century, Newton was a manufacturing community, much of its growth derived from the washing machine industry.

Newton entered the national stage in 1938 when martial law was declared during a strike at the Maytag Washing Machine Company.

[12] After Maytag announced its departure, community leaders and City administration worked together to develop a plan to diversify Newton's economy.

Between 2007 and 2017, the following companies started in or moved to Newton: Underwriter's Laboratory, Trinity Structural Towers, TPI Composites, Aureon, Walter G. Anderson, the Iowa Speedway, Health Enterprises, Engineered Plastics Company, Pact Manufacturing, Advanced Wheel Sales, and Hawkeye Stages.

[15][16] Legacy Plaza, the former Maytag corporate campus, contains eight buildings dating back to the early 1900s.

The site was donated to Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) by Reza Kargarzadeh in 2016.

Some of the space is leased; current tenants include Compass Mortgage, DMACC Business Resources, Thombert, Aureon, Gezellig Brewing Company, Murph & Mary's Pub, CIRAS, Iowa Lean Consortium, Aerocare, MCG and Edward Jones.

[13] In December 2007, TPI Composites announced plans to open a plant to manufacture massive wind turbine blades, which are now in production.

[20] President Barack Obama visited the Trinity Structural Towers plant on April 22, 2009, that year's Earth Day.

"[15] The Comprehensive Plan was written with the input of Newton citizens and reflects the community's goals for the future; the top goals identified in the plan were to grow Newton's population with an emphasis toward targeting young families, increase employment opportunities, improve the City's curb appeal, and fill vacant buildings and increase local shopping options.

[citation needed] The Iowa Sculpture Festival was an annual event hosted in Newton which began in 2002.

[24] Newton features more than 100 displays of public art with sculptures and painted murals throughout the community.

[28] The Newton Community Theater performs several shows each year ranging from large-cast musicals, such as Les Misérables, to small cast ensemble plays, such as The Dixie Swim Club.

Newton Main Street is a 501(c)3 organization with a goal of economic development within the context of historic preservation.

Newton has several other places listed on the National Register of Historic Places including the Thomas Arthur House, August H. Bergman House, Emerson Hough Elementary School, the Jasper County Courthouse, and St. Stephen's Episcopal Church.

The Jasper County Historical Museum is located on the southwest est side of Newton and features historical artifacts from throughout Newton's history, including many early-model washing machines manufactured by Maytag.

The aircraft was a Travel Air 6000 owned by Harry Ogg, owner of the Automatic Washing Machine Company and was named "Smiling Thru".

Maytag, purchased a single Holstein cow to provide fresh clean milk to his children.

Maytag Dairy Farms collaborated with Iowa State University to pioneer the first great American blue cheese that could compete with classic European cheeses such as Roquefort made from sheep's milk.

77 years after Fred made the first wheels of Maytag Blue Cheese, the leadership of the company is transitioning to his grandchildren—the great-grandchildren of E.H.

[36] Newton is home to Iowa Speedway, a 7/8-mile racing track purchased by NASCAR in 2014.

The IHSAA athletics that Newton participates in includes: baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and wrestling.

[41] On August 31, 1969, world boxing champion Rocky Marciano and two other occupants died when their airplane crashed in Newton.

[42] 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 a plane carrying the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team.

DMACC Newton Campus Community College According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.19 square miles (28.98 km2), all land.

Newton's street numbering system also extends into rural Jasper County.

The government in Newton has come under scrutiny for alleged civil rights violations against citizens exercising their First Amendment rights, including arresting and indicting a man for disorderly conduct after criticizing the police department during a city council public comment session.

[52] The Newton Police Department is also facing federal lawsuits for allegedly conducting false arrests and violating Fourth Amendment rights after videos surfaced of a college student being arrested and extensively interrogated in a police station on alleged charges of driving under the influence despite passing both field sobriety and breathalyzer tests on the motorway.