In 1803, most of modern Kansas was secured by the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase.

In 1871, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway extended a main line from Emporia westward to Newton by July 1871.

[5] The town soon became an important railroad shipping point of Texas cattle.

[6] The city was founded in 1871 and named after Newton, Massachusetts, home of some of the Santa Fe stockholders.

The incident began with an argument between two local lawmen, Billy Bailey and Mike McCluskie.

[8] In 1872, the western terminal for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and the railhead for the Chisholm Trail were established here.

[9] During World War II, the Newton airport was taken over by the US Navy as a secondary Naval Air Station, and the main runway was extended to over 7,000 feet (2,100 m).

In 1995, the Santa Fe merged with the Burlington Northern Railroad, and is now known as the BNSF Railway.

The BNSF continues to be a large industrial taxpayer although its impact as an employer has decreased in the past decade.

On February 25, 2016, Newton was the site of the first of several related shooting incidents, which culminated in a mass shooting at an Excel Industries building in nearby Hesston that left three people dead and twelve others injured.

[10][11] The shooter, identified as Excel employee Cedric Larry Ford, was then killed by a responding police officer.

[12][13] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.60 square miles (32.63 km2), all of it land.

U.S. Highway 50 runs past the White House in Washington, DC through Newton, Kansas and continues on to Sacramento, California.

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.

The major city in this metro area is Wichita, Kansas, 20 miles (20 minutes) to the South via I-135.

The 2020 United States census counted 18,602 people, 7,501 households, and 4,798 families in Newton.

Amtrak's Southwest Chief stops in Newton twice each day and provides passenger rail service towards Los Angeles and Chicago.

[42] The Amtrak station is located at 414 N Main St.[43] Bus service is provided daily towards Wichita and Salina by BeeLine Express (subcontractor of Greyhound Lines).