North Carolina Highway 16 (NC 16) is a 143.8-mile primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Traveling in a north–south direction, it connects the cities and towns of Charlotte, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Wilkesboro and Jefferson, linking the Charlotte metropolitan area with the mountainous High Country. NC 16 is part of a three-state route 16 that connects the Charlotte region with northwestern West Virginia.

Newton is a city in Catawba County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 12,968. It is the county seat of Catawba County. Newton is part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area.