Relocation Information

Weather in the Ozarks is as diverse as the scenery, and it can change dramatically without warning. The average temperature in the winter is 40 degrees and summer is 80 degrees, but temperatures can range form an average low of 32 degrees to an average maximum of 92 degrees. Annual rainfall is approximately 45 inches, annual snowfall, five inches.

There are four schools in the county for grades K-12. They are located at Deer, Jasper, Western Grove and Mt. Judea. North Arkansas Community Technical College is located in Harrison.

There are two family practice clinics with physicians and nurse practitioners available. They are located at Deer, where it is owned by St. Mary's Hospital, and at Jasper, where it is owned by North Arkansas Medical Center. The Newton County Ambulance Service is also owned by NARMC and is located at Jasper. There is a county health unit, in home health care, a nursing home, a dental office and an optometrist, all located in Jasper.

There is a veterinary clinic at Western Grove.

Two apartment buildings in Jasper are available specifically for senior citizens and are handicapped accessible. Rentals of 1-2 bedroom houses range from $200 up but are difficult to find in this area.

Arkansas Scenic Byway 7, the state's first national scenic byway, cuts through the heart of the county, running north and south. It is 20 miles to Harrison from Jasper and 60 miles to Russellville or Branson.

The population of the county is approximately 7,700 and overall is slightly older than that of the state as a whole.

There are ten community water associations in the county: Basin Valley, Deer, Eastern Newton County, Jasper, Lurton-Pelsor, Mockingbird Hill, Mt. Sherman, Nail-Swain, Parthenon and Western Grove. There are eight community fire departments: Compton, Deer, Jasper, Mt. Judea, Mt. Sherman, Parthenon, Western Grove and Ponca. Seven of them have First Responder groups: Compton, Deer, Ponca, Jasper, Mt. Judea, Mt. Sherman and Parthenon.

Newton County is home to the headwaters of the nation's first National River, the Buffalo. More than one third of the county is owned by some government entity, (Park Service, Forest Service, State of Arkansas and county government)