E TRAILS MEET AMPUSES Drive through Johnston, Iowa, and the signs of growth are unmistakable. Construction is happening on new projects, new restaurants and coffee shops line the streets, and young families fill the parks. This northern Des Moines suburb has transformed from a small railway stop into one of Iowa’s fastest-growing cities, with its population soaring from 8,649 in 2000 to nearly 25,000 today. “Your first impression would be, this is a very, very vibrant, obviously very growing community,” says Mayor Paula Dierenfeld, 142 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 06
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