Location

Newton is located in East Central Mississippi at the crossroads of Interstate 20, Mississippi Highway 15, and US Highway 80 in south central Newton County.  Newton is just minutes away from Meridian and Choctaw - Philadelphia, and just an hour away from the Capital City of Jackson.

Education

Education is one of the most important aspects of a person's life. In Newton, we take education very seriously. Newton Municipal Schools work to stay on top of our children's education. They offer advanced and special education classes as well as STAR satellite classrooms. Newton also offers choices for the athletic child, such as football, basketball, baseball, softball, tennis, and more.

East Central Community College is just minutes away in nearby Decatur. They offer Associate degrees in most major areas, as well as vocational and technical majors. They also have LPN and RN nursing programs.

Transportation

Located on Interstate-20, minutes from Interstate 59, and just an hour from Interstate 55, Newton provides easy access to most major cities of the South, the state capital of Jackson and the Jackson-Evers International Airport.

of the Newton City limits on Airport Road. The airport has a lighted, paved 3000 X 75  foot runway with an approach beam on the southern approach. 100LL aviation fuel is available on premises.

Meridian Regional Airport which has ASA Delta Connection service is just minutes away.

 Mississippi Highways 15 and US Highway 80 intersect

 in Newton.

 Over 75 major metropolitan markets and one-third of the nation's population are within 

 a day's drive of Newton County. Newton County is served by national and local shipping

 companies assuring prompt inbound and outbound deliveries.

 The Mississippi River Port at Vicksburg in 106 miles away and the Tennessee-

 Tombigbee Waterway at Columbus is 108 miles away.  A major seaport is just 147 

 miles away at Gulfport.

Brief History

Contrary to common belief the City of Newton, incorporated in 1860, was named for Newton Doolittle, whose father, Roger Doolittle, gave part of the land for the site, and not for Sir Isaac Newton, the English philosopher-mathematician. Newton Doolittle's portrait hangs in the City Hall, presented by his descendants at the Centennial celebration in 1961.

Newton County was admitted into the State in February, 1836. Settlers closely followed the Dancing Rabbit Creek Treaty and the Choctaw Land Purchase of 1830. Within 25 years there were several small towns and a railroad, the Southern--now Kansas City Southern.

Newton was one of the later towns in the county to be settled, with trading settlement first at Garlandsville on the stage coach route, then moving to Newton. The first train of cars on the Southern line arrived at Newton in September, 1860.
In 1895 Newton had 12 businesses, a Post Office, three churches, three livery stables, a newspaper (Baptist Record), a barber shop, and two hotels that were used by "drummers" who did business here. There was a good two-story school building, costing $3,000, described as a "male and female college," where the Post Office is now.

The Newton County Bank was organized in 1912, survived the 1929 panic and the depression of the 1930's, and continues to thrive today. The First National Bank, now Union Planters Bank, opened in 1953.

Post Office records show that in 1913 there were five rural routes and receipts allowing advancement from fourth to third class operation. Today the Post Office is first class with ever-increasing receipts.

In 1928 Newton Public Library was established as a project of a woman's club now disbanded. Also that year Kraft Cheese Co. and Ford's Ice Cream Co. were established. "Foreign" industry came in 1947 with The Newton Company (slacks), in 1960 with La-Z-Boy South, Inc. (recliner chairs), and in 1970 with Esco (steel fabrications).

Today, Newton is a thriving city strategically located at the intersection of I-20 and Hwy 15. Newton has blended a colorful past with a dynamic present to establish a promising framework for the future.