Johnston is a city in

Polk County Polk County is the name of twelve counties in the United States, all except two named after president of the United States James Knox Polk: * Polk County, Arkansas * Polk County, Florida * Polk County, Georgia * Polk County, Iowa * Polk Count ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

, United States. The population was 24,064 in the 2020 census, an increase of 178% from the 8,649 population in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

. It is part of the

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

–

West Des Moines West Des Moines is a city in Polk, Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

. Johnston is the location of the headquarters of

Pioneer Hi-Bred Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. is a U.S.-based producer of seeds for agriculture. They are a major producer of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), including genetically modified crops with insect and herbicide resistance. As of 2019, Pi ...

Seeds,

Iowa Public Television Iowa PBS, formerly Iowa Public Television (IPTV), is a network of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member stations in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is owned by the Iowa Public Broadcasting Board, an agency of the state education department which h ...

, and

The Gardeners of America/Men's Garden Clubs of America The Gardeners of America/Men's Garden Clubs of America (TGOA/MGCA) is a national organization with 31 affiliated garden clubs located in 14 states (2018) across the United States. The organization is also known as Gardeners of America (TGOA) or ...

. Also located here are the

Camp Dodge Camp Dodge is a military installation in the city of Johnston, Iowa, Johnston, Iowa. Centrally located near the capital of Iowa, it currently serves as the headquarters of the Iowa National Guard. History Original construction of the post began i ...

Military Reservation as well as the Paul J. and Ida Trier House, a private residence designed by famous architect

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

, and the Des Moines Weather Forecast Office of the

National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...

. This city is also remembered for being the location where Slipknot's original bassist Paul Gray died in 2010.

History

Johnston was established in 1905 as a station on the

Des Moines & Central Iowa Railway Des is a masculine given name, mostly a short form (hypocorism) of Desmond. People named Des include: People * Des Buckingham, English football manager * Des Corcoran, (1928–2004), Australian politician * Des Dillon (disambiguation), severa ...

between

and

Perry Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also made ...

known as Johnston Station. It was named for the railway's freight supervisor, John F. Johnston. Passenger service along the railroad ended in 1949, and the track has subsequently been removed within city limits. Voters passed a resolution to incorporate on June 23, 1969. On September 8, the first Mayor and Council were sworn in. Incorporation papers were signed by the Clerk of the District Court on December 11, 1969. At the time, the Johnston Station area did not become part of the incorporated city because of a state law that prevented a town within three miles (5 km) of another city from incorporating. The neighboring cities of

and Urbandale were also interested in that land, but in April 1970, Johnston and Urbandale reached an agreement that allowed Johnston to annex the Johnston Station area.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The city is bordered on the east by the Des Moines River and the city's area includes part of Saylorville Reservoir. On the south, the city is bordered by

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...

and to the west, the city limits extend to a half mile east of

Iowa Highway 141 Iowa Highway 141 (Iowa 141) is an east–west highway in the western and central portions of the state. It is the most direct link between Sioux City and Des Moines. It also serves as a freeway link between Des Moines and the outlying com ...

. The city is bisected by Beaver Creek, which flows southerly through the city until it nearly reaches Interstate 80, at which point the course turn easterly and flows to the

Des Moines River The Des Moines River () is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the upper Midwestern United States that is approximately long from its farther headwaters.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe Na ...

Demographics

2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 17,278 people, 6,369 households, and 4,720 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 6,618 housing units at an average density of . The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the city was 91.0% White, 2.2% African American, 0.1% Native American, 4.6% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.0%. Of the 6,369 households 42.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.4% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.9% were non-families. 20.7% of households were one person and 6.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.14. The median age was 36.9 years. 29.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.7% were from 25 to 44; 25.6% were from 45 to 64; and 9.9% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 8,649 people, 3,216 households, and 2,318 families living in the city. The estimated population of Johnston in 2009 was 16,161 people. The population density was . There were 3,406 housing units at an average density of . The

of the city was 96.20% White, 0.58% African American, 0.10% Native American, 2.00% Asian, 0.49% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.53%. Of the 3,216 households 39.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.1% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 23.3% of households were one person and 9.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.13. Age spread: 29.7% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males. The median household income was $76,094 and the median family income was $97,322. Males had a median income of $61,585 versus $36,008 for females. The per capita income for the city was $36,407. About 2.0% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Corteva Agriscience Corteva, Inc. (also known as Corteva Agriscience) is a major American agricultural chemical and seed company that was the agricultural unit of DowDuPont prior to being spun off as an independent public company. DowDuPont announced the Corteva nam ...

and

John Deere Deere & Company, doing business as John Deere (), is an American corporation that manufactures agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, forestry machinery, diesel engines, drivetrains (axles, transmissions, gearboxes) used in heavy equipment, ...

Financial are based in Johnston.

Education

Johnston Community School District Johnston Community School District (JCSD) is a school district headquartered in Johnston, Iowa. In 2018, Laura Kacer became the superintendent. The district, with ,Johnston Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Polk County, Iowa Des Moines metropolitan area 1905 establishments in Iowa