Johnston, Iowa
Johnston is a city of 24,384 people in Polk County, Iowa, founded in 1969.
Why visit Johnston
Townapedia lists 18 museums and landmarks, 59 parks and trails, 91 places to eat and 22 places to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Herrold Bridge, Ashby Manor Historic District, Des Moines Driving Range and Hyperion Field Club.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 85°F; January lows average 13°F, and about 38 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Johnston
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Johnston
Johnston is a city in Polk County, Iowa, United States. The population was 24,064 in the 2020 census, a large increase from the 8,649 population in 2000. It is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From the Wikipedia article Johnston, Iowa (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks18
Herrold Bridge
Bridge · National Register of Historic Places · 2.5 mi
Road bridge in Iowa, United States of America
Ashby Manor Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 5.3 mi
Historic district in Des Moines, Iowa
Big Creek Schoolhouse
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 5.5 mi
Rathaus in Iowa, United States of America
Camp Dodge Pool District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.1 mi
Historic district in Iowa, United States
Flynn Farm, Mansion, and Barn
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 5.5 mi
Building in Iowa, United States
Olmsted Family Farmhouse
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.1 mi
Historic building located in Urbandale, Iowa, United States
Paul J. and Ida Trier House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.8 mi
Historic house in Iowa, United States
Paul J. Trier House
Monument and historic site · 1.8 mi
6880 Northwest Beaver Drive, Johnston
Pole Position Raceway
Monument and historic site · 3.0 mi
1350 Southeast Gateway Drive, Grimes
Mo-Th 11:00-21:00; Fr,Sa 10:00-23:00; Su 10:00-20:00
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Living History Farms
Museum · 5.7 mi
Agricultural history museum in Iowa, US
6 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds59
47 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes91
Marino's Italian Restaurant
Restaurant · Pizza, Italian · 2.3 mi
5775 Merle Hay Road, Johnston
Tu-Th 17:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 17:00-22:00
Al's Dairy Freeze
Restaurant · Ice Cream · 3.1 mi
1220 NE Station Crossing Drive, Grimes
Mo-Fr 16:00-21:00, Sa-Su 11:00-21:00
Lightbrite Coffee Roasters
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 2.8 mi
1895 Southeast 19th Street, Grimes
Mo-Sa 07:00-16:00; Su 08:00-13:00
Sol Agave
Restaurant · 3.1 mi
721 East 1st Street, Grimes
Mo-Th 11:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-22:00; Su 11:00-20:00
Wasabi
Restaurant · Asian, Japanese · 2.5 mi
8481 Birchwood Court, Johnston
Su-Th 11:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-22:30
79 more on the map.
Where to stay22
Homewood Suites by Hilton Urbandale Des Monies
Motel and hotel · 3.0 mi
8901 Plum Drive
24/7
AmericInn Hotel & Suites Johnston
Motel and hotel · 2.9 mi
5050 Merle Hay Road, Johnston
10 more on the map.
History
Johnston was established in 1905 as a station on the Des Moines & Central Iowa Railway between Des Moines and Perry 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 Des Moines 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.
From the History section of Johnston, Iowa on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship24
First Baptist Church
Church · Baptist · 1.4 mi
8250 Northwest 62nd Avenue, Johnston
Johnston River of Life
Church · Methodist · 1.1 mi
8701 Lyndhurst Drive, Johnston
Lutheran Church of Hope Grimes
Church · Lutheran · 2.9 mi
512 NE Beaverbrooke Blvd., Grimes
NorthPoint Church
Church · Evangelical Free Church Of America · 1.9 mi
9901 Northwest 62nd Avenue, Johnston
Saint James Lutheran Church
Church · Lutheran · 2.4 mi
5665 Merle Hay Road, Johnston
Saint Peter Lutheran Church
Church · Lutheran · 3.6 mi
1001 South James Street, Grimes
Shopping13
Gas and EV charging22
Schools, colleges and libraries45
Healthcare12
Medicap Pharmacy
Clinic and pharmacy · 2.9 mi
250 Southeast Gateway Drive, Grimes
Mercy Johnston Medical Clinic
Clinic and pharmacy · 2.1 mi
5615 Northwest 86th Street, Johnston
The Iowa Clinic Family Medicine
Clinic and pharmacy · 2.3 mi
5501 Northwest 86th Street, Johnston
Unity Point Clinic Family Medicine - Grimes
Clinic and pharmacy · 2.3 mi
101 Southeast Destination Drive, Grimes
Unity Point Health Care
Clinic and pharmacy · 1.8 mi
5900 Northwest 86th Street, Johnston
Urbandale Health Care Center
Clinic and pharmacy · 3.3 mi
4614 84th Street, Urbandale
Map of Johnston
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30°F | 13°F | 1.0 in | 9.7 in |
| Feb | 35°F | 17°F | 1.2 in | 10.5 in |
| Mar | 49°F | 29°F | 2.1 in | 5.0 in |
| Apr | 62°F | 40°F | 4.0 in | 1.6 in |
| May | 72°F | 52°F | 4.8 in | 0.2 in |
| Jun | 81°F | 62°F | 5.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 85°F | 66°F | 4.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 83°F | 64°F | 4.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 76°F | 55°F | 3.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 63°F | 42°F | 2.5 in | 0.5 in |
| Nov | 48°F | 30°F | 1.9 in | 2.2 in |
| Dec | 35°F | 19°F | 1.5 in | 8.3 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Des Moines Wsfo-Johnston (3 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Polk County has had 13 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2026-09-01: Severe Storms And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2024-05-24: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2024-05-14: Severe Storms And Tornadoes (Tornado)
- 2020-08-17: Severe Storms (Severe Storm)
- 2020-03-23: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Des Moines International Airport (DSM) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 11 miles away.
- Grimes 4 mi west, about 7 min by car
- Urbandale 5 mi southwest, about 8 min by car
- Saylorville 5 mi east, about 8 min by car
- Windsor Heights 6 mi south, about 10 min by car
- Ankeny 7 mi northeast, about 11 min by car
- Clive 7 mi southwest, about 11 min by car
- Des Moines 10 mi southeast, about 16 min by car
- Altoona 13 mi east, about 21 min by car
- Ames 24 mi north, about 38 min by car
- Boone 26 mi north, about 42 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Lightning bolt, Johnston, Iowa (27661834650), NOAA Photo Library, Public domain
- Olmsted Family Farm Front, KatelynFoster22, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ashby Manor Homes, Goddesshanna, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Living History Farms 66, Dennis Bratland, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Living History Farms 32, Dennis Bratland, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Flickr - DVIDSHUB - Sling Load, DVIDSHUB, CC BY 2.0
- ISS055-E-82094 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS055-E-82095 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS055-E-82096 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS055-E-82093 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- Pawlenty in Pioneer research greenhouse (5687646894), IowaPolitics.com, CC BY-SA 2.0
- ErnestPerry, Ejmcandrew, CC BY-SA 4.0
- JHS2017, johnston highschool, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Paul J and Ida Trier House, Cubsftw, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Updown, Pat Hawks, CC BY 4.0
- Spillway - Saylorville Lake - Des Moines River, Iowa, Matthew Robey from Bristol, UK, CC BY 2.0
- USACE Saylorville Lake and Dam, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown, Public domain
- Medicap Pharmacy Grimes Iowa IMG 0448, Scott A. Miller, CC BY 3.0
- National Weather Service Radar - NWS Des Moines, Iowa (40783896373), Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, CC BY 2.0
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