[26] Newton is located near the headwaters of the east branch of the Paulins Kill, a 41.6-mile (66.9 km) tributary of the Delaware River.

[27] In October 1715, Colonial surveyor Samuel Green plotted a tract of 2,500 acres (1,000 ha) at the head of the Paulins Kill, then known as the Tohokenetcunck River, on behalf of William Penn.

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 Board of Proprietors.

At the time of Green's survey, northwestern New Jersey was populated with bands of the Munsee, the northern branch of the Lenape Native Americans.

[a] The township would be named Newtown after the colonial village of Newtown in Queens, New York 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)[citation needed] or from its status as a "new town".

[28] In 1762, Jonathan Hampton, of Elizabethtown, surveyed the location for a county courthouse and town green at the intersection of a military supply road he built during the French and Indian War and a major north–south artery called the King's Highway (present-day New Jersey Route 94).

The county courthouse was the site of a raid by British partisan Lieutenant James Moody during the American Revolution.

[26] The Newton Town Plot Historic District is a 17-acre (6.9 ha) historic district 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 on November 12, 1992, for its significance in architecture, commerce, community planning, settlement, and politics from 1762 to 1941.

The Sussex and Merchants National Bank was built in 1927 with Georgian Revival style and some Beaux Arts ornamentation.

[44][45] During winter and early spring, New Jersey in some years is subject to "nor'easters"—significant storm systems that have proven capable of causing blizzards or flooding throughout the northeastern United States.

[46] This phenomenon is attributed to the orographic lift of the Kittatinny Ridge which impacts local weather patterns by increasing humidity and precipitation.

[47] In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Newton have ranged from a low of 17 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July.

[48] According to the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service soil survey, the area receives sunshine 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 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.

Newton's community offers a range of Christian houses of worship and one Jewish synagogue.

These include: Skylands Park in nearby Frankford Township, is the home of the Sussex County Miners, who play in the Frontier League.

[64] This form of government was implemented based on the recommendations of a Charter Study Commission as of July 1, 1978.

[65] The town's governing board is comprised of a five-member Town Council, whose members are chosen at-large in non-partisan 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.

[72][73][74] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 5th congressional district is represented by Josh Gottheimer (D, Wyckoff).

[89] 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).

The Newton Public School District serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.

[113][114] 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.

[115] St Joseph's provided classes from pre-kindergarten (ages 3–5) to seventh-grade for a total enrollment of 140 students.

It became fully accredited in 1993 by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

The nearest NJ Transit rail station is Netcong, approximately 12 miles (19 km) to the south.

[132] Newton is home to the editorial offices of New Jersey Herald, the state's oldest newspaper, founded in 1829.

[135] WMBC-TV is licensed to Newton, but its studios are in West Caldwell, New Jersey and its transmitter is near Lake Hopatcong.