who has served the city for 26 years. “It has exciting things going on, lots of restaurants, lots of recreational opportunities. You can see some incredible employers, and they have some of the best schools in the state here in Johnston.” The numbers support her assessment. Johnston boasts a median household income of $103,430, well above the state average, and maintains one of Iowa’s youngest populations, with a median age of just 38.4 years. Major employers like Corteva Agriscience and John Deere Financial have established significant operations here, while the Johnston Community School District recently earned recognition as one of only 17 Apple Distinguished School Districts nationwide. “We draw young families into our community,” Mayor Dierenfeld explains. The city’s average age of 38 reflects this demographic shift. Assistant City Administrator David Wilwerding attributes the growth to strategic planning and location.“We have the benefit of being in central Iowa, being a suburb of Des Moines,” he notes. The city’s proximity to Des Moines Area Community College, Drake University, and Iowa State University creates a robust workforce pipeline that attracts residents and businesses. THE TOWN CENTER STORY For decades, Johnston lacked what most Iowa communities take for granted: a downtown. Incorporated in 1969,the citygrew without developing a traditional town center, leaving residents without a central gathering place. That changed dramatically with the opening of the Johnston Town Center in 2020, a $30 million project that transformed 18 acres around the former city hall into a vibrant civic and commercial hub. “We’re only about 56 years old,” Mayor Dierenfeld explains. “Even as the population increased over time, they never really developed a town center, a downtown, or a town square like many communities have.” The original city hall itself highlighted this unusual history. “The city hall that we had at the time, was the original grocery store here in Johnston,” she notes. The vision for change emerged about twelve years 3 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 06 JOHNSTON, IA
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