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Newton
is a city and county seat of Harvey County, Kansas. The population was
17,190 at the 2000 census.
Newton is located 20 miles north
of Wichita and is included in the Wichita metropolitan statistical
area (MSA).
From the earliest beginnings in
1871 to 1873 Newton came to be known as "bloody and
lawless-the wickedest city in the west." This reputation was
much due to the 1871 Gunfight
at Hide Park, which ultimately resulted in 8 men being
killed before, during and after the incident.
In 1872 the western terminal for
the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and the railhead
for the Chisholm Trail were established here. Shortly after
incorporation of the City in 1872, the Newton city council
passed an ordinance prohibiting the running at large of buffalo
and other wild animals.
The history of Newton is
intertwined with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.
Newton served as the Middle Division dispatching headquarters for
the "Santa Fe" until the mid 1980's when all dispatching
for the Chicago to Los Angeles system was centralized in the
Chicago area.
In 1995 the Santa Fe was merged
with the Burlington Northern Railroad. Now called the BNSF
Railway, it is one of the largest railroads in the US. The
BNSF continues to be a large industrial taxpayer although its
impact as an employer has decreased in the past decade. 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.
Newton lies at the "bull's
eye" of the North American Continent. U.S. Highway 81, also
known as the Meridian Highway, stretches from Winnipeg, Manitoba,
Canada to Mexico City, Mexico through Central and South America.
It passes through Newton, Kansas and is known as "Main
Street." U.S. Highway 50 runs past the White House in
Washington, DC through Newton, Kansas and continues on to
Sacramento, California.
According to the City of Newton,
Kansas, the city has a total area of 11.38 square miles, all land
with the exception of Sand Creek and several small tributaries.
- "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton,_Kansas"
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