Newton County will be featured by the Orton Family Foundation as an example of a community with a strong stewardship program.

In total, five communities were selected to be case studies in a publication set to come out at the end of this month.

The foundation focuses on small communities and strives to provide resources and funds to help the communities grow while holding on to their culture.

Newton County will be featured for its growth model, the 2050 Plan.

The 2050 Plan aims to house 88 percent of the county's future population on just 30 percent of the county's land by 2050.

The plan was created to help the towns within Newton keep its small-town-feel while growing. The plan will create five new, compact communities that will help preserve farmland and wooded land.

Other communities to be featured in the publication include: Duluth, Minn., Hillsboro, Ore., Portsmouth, N.H. and Hastings, Mich.