Newton, North Carolina

Newton is located at the center of Catawba County, at 35°39'54" North, 81°13'28" West (35.665082, -81.224351).[6] It is bordered to the north by Conover and to the northwest by Hickory. Claremont is to the northeast, and Maiden is to the south.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.8 square miles (35.8 km²), of which 13.8 square miles (35.7 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²), or 0.37%, is water.[4]

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 12,560 people, 5,007 households, and 3,314 families living in the city. The population density was 968.4 people per square mile (373.9/km²). There were 5,368 housing units at an average density of 413.9 per square mile (159.8/km²). The racial composition of the city was: 77.58% White, 12.33% Black or African American, 9.52% Hispanic or Latino American, 3.40% Asian American, 0.43% Native American, 0.03% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 4.63% some other race, and 1.60% two or more races.

There were 5,007 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the city, the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,696, and the median income for a family was $44,330. Males had a median income of $27,237 versus $22,963 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,427. 12.1% of the population and 8.4% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 19.1% of those under the age of 18 and 13.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Some of the bobbin doffers and the superintendent at Catawba Cotton Mill, December 1908. Photographed by Lewis Hine.

• Catawba Cotton Mill

Listings on the National Register of Historic Places for places in Catawba County:

• Catawba County Courthouse, a 1924 courthouse by architects Willard G. Rogers and J.J. Stout,[8] which now houses the Catawba County Museum of History
• Foil–Cline House, also called the John A. Foil House, an 1883 domestic dwelling[8]
• Grace Reformed Church, a historic church built in 1887 in the Gothic Revival style[8]
• Long, McCorkle and Murray Houses, 1890 houses in the Craftsman and Queen Anne architectural styles[8]
• Newton Downtown Historic District[9]
• North Main Avenue Historic District[8]
• Perkins House[8]
• Rudisill–Wilson House[8]
• Self–Trott–Bickett House[8]
• St. Paul's Church and Cemetery, a log weatherboarded church built in 1808 featuring a federal style interior.[8]
• Newton Depot[8]Southeastern Narrow-gauge and short line museum

• Tori Amos, singer/songwriter and pianist, was born here.
• Robert W. Lee IV, pastor of Unifour Church[10]
• Shane Lee, NASCAR driver[11]
• Buz Phillips, former MLB player for the Philadelphia Phillis[12]
• Dennis Setzer, former NASCAR driver[13]
• Pauletta Washington, actress and wife of Denzel Washington (born in Newton)
• Eddie Yount, former MLB player for the Philadelphia Athletics and Pittsburgh Pirates[14]

• The Observer News Enterprise, daily newspaper reporting local news and sports for Newton, Conover and the surrounding communities since 1879
• Outlook, weekly entertainment and activity guide distributed in Newton, Conover and Hickory
• The Claremont Courier, free monthly publication

• City website