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Newton County, Mississippi facts for kids

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Newton County
Alabama and Vicksburg Railroad Depot
Alabama and Vicksburg Railroad Depot
Map of Mississippi highlighting Newton County
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Map of the United States highlighting Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Mississippi
Founded 1836
Seat Decatur
Largest city Newton
Area
 • Total 580 sq mi (1,500 km2)
 • Land 578 sq mi (1,500 km2)
 • Water 1.5 sq mi (4 km2)  0.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 21,291
 • Density 36.7/sq mi (14.17/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 3rd

Newton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,291. Its county seat is Decatur.

History

Newton County was formed in 1836, and was named in honor of Sir Isaac Newton.

Newton County is adjacent to Jasper County, which was named for Sgt. William Jasper, a Revolutionary War hero of the Siege of Savannah in 1779. Sgt. John Newton had a very similar history. Early in the 1800s, many places were named for these men. At least four other states, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri and Texas, have adjacent Jasper and Newton Counties. At least two states, Illinois and Iowa, have Newton as the county seat of Jasper County. In Arkansas, Jasper is the county seat of Newton County. The frequency of occurrence of these names in juxtaposition shows that the stories of Sgts. Jasper and Newton were widely known, and associated with each other at the time these counties were named.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 580 square miles (1,500 km2), of which 578 square miles (1,500 km2) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2) (0.3%) is water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected area

  • Bienville National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1840 2,527
1850 4,465 76.7%
1860 9,661 116.4%
1870 10,067 4.2%
1880 13,436 33.5%
1890 16,625 23.7%
1900 19,708 18.5%
1910 23,085 17.1%
1920 20,727 −10.2%
1930 22,910 10.5%
1940 24,249 5.8%
1950 22,681 −6.5%
1960 19,517 −14.0%
1970 18,983 −2.7%
1980 19,944 5.1%
1990 20,291 1.7%
2000 21,838 7.6%
2010 21,720 −0.5%
2020 21,291 −2.0%
2023 (est.) 21,019 −3.2%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2013

2020 census

Newton County Racial Composition
Race Num. Perc.
White 12,796 60.1%
Black or African American 6,447 30.28%
Native American 1,169 5.49%
Asian 77 0.36%
Other/Mixed 473 2.22%
Hispanic or Latino 329 1.55%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 21,291 people, 8,037 households, and 5,697 families residing in the county.

Communities

City

Towns

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Newton (Misisipi) para niños

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