Newton Falls, Ohio

Newton Falls, Ohio
—  City  —
Location of Newton Falls, Ohio
Coordinates: 41°11′20″N 80°58′11″W / 41.18889°N 80.96972°W / 41.18889; -80.96972Coordinates: 41°11′20″N 80°58′11″W / 41.18889°N 80.96972°W / 41.18889; -80.96972
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Trumbull
Government
– Mayor	Lyle A. Waddell
Area
– Total	2.4 sq mi (6.1 km2)
– Land	2.3 sq mi (5.9 km2)
– Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation[1]	932 ft (284 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	5,002
– Density	2,193.1/sq mi (846.8/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	44444
Area code(s)	330
FIPS code	39-55650[2]
GNIS feature ID	1065149[1]
Website	http://ci.newtonfalls.oh.us/

Newton Falls is a city located within Newton Township in Trumbull County, Ohio in the United States. The population was 5,002 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The city is known for its ZIP code, which is 44444, and for its covered bridge, which is the second oldest in the state of Ohio and one of only two in Ohio with an integrated covered walkway (the other being the Smolen-Gulf Covered Bridge in Ashtabula County).

The city earned its name from the two sets of falls within the city, each on different branches of the Mahoning River.

History

Newton Falls was likely named for Newtown, Connecticut in the early 19th century at the time of its settlement. It grew in part from factors such as the river and its falls, steel manufacturing, and the proximity of the nearby Ravenna Training and Logistics Site.^[3]

On May 31, 1985, an F5 tornado struck the city as part of The 1985 United States-Canadian tornado outbreak, a deadly series of tornadoes that swept through Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, Canada. The tornado to hit Newton Falls was the only F5 to hit Ohio that day. The tornado damaged most of the downtown area destroying dozens of homes, damaging the Senior and Junior High Schools (destroying the gymnasium and rendering the Junior High unusable), and devastating many businesses. Remarkably, no deaths were attributed to the tornado.^[4]

Attractions

Covered Bridge

Newton Falls is home to the only remaining 19th century covered bridge in Ohio,^[5] which was constructed over the Mahoning River in 1831. A walkway was added to the side of the bridge in 1921–1922. In 1985 the bridge was repaired after being damaged by the Niles/Wheatland tornado.^[6] In December 2007 the bridge was reopened after a two year restoration funded by government grants. In July 2009 a delivery truck damaged the bridge and rendered it out of service until repairs could be made. It reopened in 2010.^[7]

Fourth of July Festivities

The city last celebrated Dicker Days in the mid-1970s. It holds the largest Fourth of July Festivities in the county, which have been annual since 1946. The normally sleepy little town brings in up to 40,000 spectators to view the Parade and Fireworks, as well as a week long carnival with entertainment provided by the Newton Falls Fourth of July Festivities Committee which is made up entirely of volunteers. The committee raises money for the fireworks through a Car Show, Bike Show, and 10,000 Dollar Raffle, in addition to donations.

Home 44444 The Holidays

Formerly known as Hometown Christmas, was started by Tim and Cyndi Hogue. This in an annual event run by the citizens of the town featuring musical and other holiday related performances along with vendors selling arts and crafts, baked goods and other items. The event has always been admission free until recently when the new owners started to charge. It is attended by members of the community and surrounding communities.

Update: There is no charge for adminision to Home 44444 The Holidays, we only ask for an (optional) food donation to help us with our donation to the local food banks in Newton Falls.

Arts in the Park

This festival celebrates all forms of the Fine & Professional Arts and is organized by Christine Spletzer-Newman. It is very deliberately a collection of arts to do rather than arts to view. Festival goers paint legal graffiti on train cars, roll wheelchairs through paint and onto canvas, participate in the creation of a fairytale, and more. This summer event is held in the beautiful waterfall centered park known as Veteran's Park. Admission and most events are free.

Geography

Newton Falls is located at 41°11′20″N 80°58′11″W / 41.18889°N 80.96972°W / 41.18889; -80.96972 ^[8].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²), of which, 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) is water.

The Mahoning River runs through Newton Falls.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 5,002 people, 2,171 households, and 1,346 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,193.1 people per square mile (847.1/km²). There were 2,376 housing units at an average density of 1,041.7 per square mile (402.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.10% White, 0.38% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.64% of the population.

There were 2,171 households out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,827, and the median income for a family was $41,250. Males had a median income of $34,067 versus $21,992 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,039. About 8.1% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.8% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Township

Main article: Newton Township, Trumbull County, Ohio

The township is governed by a three-member Board of Trustees governs Newton Township. Each is elected for a four year term. The Trustees meet the fourth Monday of each month at the Township Administration Building

• Trustee: Pete Augusta
• Trustee: John Nemet
• Trustee: Robert Page

City

The city's government consists of five elected city councilmen (each representing different wards), an elected mayor (who serves on the council and votes in the event of a tie), and a city manager.

• City Manager: Jack Haney
• Mayor: Lyle A. Waddell
• Councilman, Ward 1: Richard Zamecnik
• Councilwoman, Ward 2: Nancy Hoffman
• Councilman, Ward 3: Richard Monteville
• Councilman, Ward 4: Jim Luonuansuu
• Councilwoman, At-Large: Mary-Ann Johnson

Education

Newton Falls is served by the Newton Falls Exempted Village Schools district. The district operates 3 traditional schools:

• Newton Falls Jr./Sr. High School
• Newton Falls Middle School
• Newton Falls Elementary

Media

Newspapers

• The Bridge
• The Newton Falls Herald (defunct)
• The Review
• The Weekly Villager

Web Sites

• 44444.com

Transportation

Major highways

Interstate 80

Other highways

Ohio State Route 5 Ohio State Route 534

Notable residents

• Patricia Cooksey horse jockey
• Jack Kucek major league baseball player
• Jessica Lea Mayfield singer and songwriter
• Earnie Shavers heavyweight boxing contender

Trivia

• According to a Postal Service website, Newton Falls, OH (44444) is one of three locations nationwide with all five digits being identical. The other two are parts of Arlington, Virginia (22222), and Young America, Minnesota (55555).

• On Monday, September 25, 2006 an article about Newton Falls was featured on the Headlines segment on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

"Jay Leno: "Uh, public notice. What town is this? Newton Falls Water Distribution Department. Look what it says here: the water will be safe to drink, but washing clothes is not advised...what is this?"

• On Monday, October 30, 2006 Newton Falls was mentioned on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno for the second time in two straight months for a line in the local paper's police blog.

"Jay Leno: "Police blotter. 8:40 am--Shots were heard in the area of the Newton Falls shooting range." Jay Leno adds, "We've got our best detective on it."

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "Newton Falls & Newton Township, Ohio History". Newton Falls Public Library. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
4. ^ "Tornado Photos and Video". http://www.may311985tornadoes.com. Retrieved 2007-01-31. 
5. ^ http://www.co.trumbull.oh.us/tcbridge.htm
6. ^ "Covered Bridge". Newton Falls Public Library. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
7. ^ Runyan, Ed (2009-10-22). "Covered bridge to stay closed for $57K repairs". The Vindicator. http://www.vindy.com/news/2009/oct/22/covered-bridge-to-stay-closed-for-57k-repairs/. Retrieved 2009-11-09. 
8. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 

External links

• City of Newton Falls
• Newton Falls Public Library
• Newton Falls Public Schools
• Newton Falls Municipal Court